The 45th Hunger Games
by Zeiddo
Summary: 29 years before Katniss stepped into the arena, the games were still as terrifying. Jolissa is 17 when she is reaped; yet her personality cannot prepare her for the arena or for those who accompany her...
1. Introduction

_**Author's note:**_

_This is a story for anyone who enjoyed reading the first novel of The Hunger Games. It is a story set in the 45th hunger games- 29 years before the time Katniss steps into the Arena. The characters are all mine, though of course, the setting, ideas, styles and themes all belong to Suzanne Collins. It is not a role play, interactive story- just a fanfiction about the 45th games._

_Of course, every good story is about unusual circumstances or characters- it is not unrealistic to write about something unusual, and in this story the plot centers around a girl, Jolissa and the strained relationship between her and her twin, Adron._

_I myself am a twin, and for a couple of years I felt exactly the same about my twin as Jolissa does about Adron. I felt obligated to love him, but everything he did infuriated me, and we couldn't talk for two minutes without arguing about something. The male twin's point of view is made up on my part, since I don't know what my twin actually felt like- anyway, we both met Jesus, and though him our relationship his flourished- we now very much enjoy spending time together. You'll see what happens between these guys, though!_

_Jolissa'a tale is one of emotional turmoil, from her complicated feelings about boys, to her unwillingness to kill in the games, to her frustration at the Captiol. I intend to complete this tale, and though it may be slightly shorter than a professional tale, I hope you will find it meeting up to the standards of a normal (if basic) novel. You may find I will have periods of un-inspiration, I am sure when the huger games movies comes out, I will write more, and probably get it done then. If not sooner. And, an enthusiastic audience always makes me want to write more, too!_

_I hope you guys enjoy this to the extent that you did the first Hunger games novel, and I assure you, the Games in this will not lack plots, plans, mutts, kills, wounds and stress. I try to have an average of 2,000 word per chapter, some are more and some are less._

_Please, feel free to review, feedback is always appreciated!_

_For a picture of Adron and Jolissa (drawn by me) when they're being interviewed, copy and paste this link with out the dashes: (besides the one in between 'white-spirited')  
><em>

_-h-ttp-:/-/-white-s-pirited-.-de-viantart-.-co-m-/-art-/-Jolissa-and-Adron-283697569_

_Sincerely, Katy._

* * *

><p><em>The TV fizzles on, and a voice rings out.<em>

_"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the 45th annual hunger games! I hope you're as excited as we are to see this year's games! Now, without futher ado, let the games….begin!"_

_The camera pans out, revealing 24 teenagers, varying in ages, color, district and gender. Two Tributes form each district- now battling each other to the death._

_No-one moves- not any tribute, not any family watching all over Panem- every one of them waiting for the minute to be up. The camera switches to the faces on the tributes- some are tense, some are determined- some look terrified, like their lack of movement would be the same whether they were allowed to move or not._

_Their faces are as different as their statures- the boy from District one unusually short, the uncharacteristic strength in the District 8 male, the weak frame of the District 6 boy. The shot of the District 10 girl, proud, but scared flashes up on the screen and the gong goes, signaling the official time for them to run, and on cue, a flurry of movement starts up. The movement is slowed, as the contestant's race- some away from the stack of goods laying there temptingly- like bait to a nasty trap- disappearing from the camera's view, but it did not chase after them._

_No, the gold in this portion of the games was watching which contestants would die, which would flee, wounded and who the rules of the Cornucopia would be._

_The girl from 8 is standing there, with a dazed look on her face, and the male from District 8 shouts something that wakes her up. He is making his way to the Cornucopia, but at an odd angle. The Male from two reaches the pile first, and runs further in, his eyes fixed on some weapon or other. The other, faster tributes are catching up, reaching the pile, and the slower ones are still trying valiantly. The District 8 tributes are on the screen now, for they have done something unusual- the girl -apparently recovered from her episode of confusion -is scrambling around, running as close to the pile as she dared, not touching anything until the spoils were of decent value. Her tactic, which took in no heed to the other tributes, would usually have meant certain death, but the District 8 tribute was hovering by her side, a splintery, rusty mace in his hand. His head was swiveling from side to side so quickly it looked painful. His haunches were taunt, and his stance was defensive, but he was not even glancing at the items, just busy on protecting the girl now filling her arms with backpacks and weapons._

_Nothing in particular was happening with those two, so the camera switches to the small boy from District 6. He's stumbling around, unsure of what direction to go. Suddenly, he stops and collapses onto the ground, a shining blade sticking out of his back. A roar goes up in the main square of the Capitol- those who would rather watch it in public rather that their homes- as the first kill of the games is made. The boy who threw the knife straightens up, a smile on his face- a strong male from District 2. He turns and sees a ginger male from District 7 hurtling towards him, a short dagger in his hand and a scared, wild expression on his young face. The District 2 boy disarms him easily, then stabs him in the neck, and leaves him on the ground. The camera pans out again, showing the multitude of fights going on; the District 7 girl is murdered by a dark-skinned male from District 11 who is then impaled by a spear thrown by the girl from District 1. The oldest one there, a male from District 12 is quickly taken down by the District 8 male after attempting to attack the District 8 girl. The camera zooming in to the District 5 male coming up behind the pair, a triumphant look already on his face, but just then the girl from District 8 pulls a small sliver box from the pile, turns to her partner to signal to him to go. She sees the District 4 male armed now with a long, jagged dagger as well as his knives, and her eyes widen, her mouth open into a half-scream._

_"Go!" Yells the District 8 boy, pushing her heavily-laden frame towards the huge, old trees that were covered in vines that surrounded the clearing- she stumbles as she runs into the swamp, her thigh-high boots showing their use as the water reaches her knees. She starts to run, and the District 8 male shoulder checks, making sure there is no threat behind them, and backs up, keeping his eyes on the threat in front of him. He's a few inches taller, and almost as strong, and he has just one major advantage- he has lost a lot of his fights.  
>His wariness, and cautiousness is what the other boy does not possess- the District 4 tribute is used to winning easily and quickly- and is misjudging the other boy's power. The tribute from 4 swings up; the dark-haired 8 tribute brings his mace smashing down on the opposing long dagger. The boy pulls back, but as he does, the District 8 tribute brings round his other hand- which was concealing another, smaller weapon. It was sort of like a hammer- yet instead of having a flat, pounding edge it has a 3-inch spike sticking out. The boy from 4 is taken by surprise- he had not expected this to happen and as the black-haired male stabs into his side- at the same time dropping his mace the injured combatant doubles over; the attacker grabs his dagger, twists in in his hand, brings it up and stabs the wounded teenager in the back of the head. He looks around, checking there is no more threats and then turns tail, sloshing as fast as he ca through the swampy mud after his companion, disappearing through into the mass of trees. The cameras turn back to the bloodbath, but the crowd all over Panem is stuck with the scene in their minds- a boy from District 8 beat a career tribute from 4 in the bloodbath.<em>

_Two more deaths have occurred in the time of the wrestle- a 14-year-old from District 3 lay in the water, slowly sinking as her blood poured out in the filthy water- and another young tribute from 5. The District 4 girl was just finishing off the weak boy from 7._

_She turns around, face triumphant, and sees her District male dead across the cornucopia._

_It's just the tributes from 1, 2 and 4 left at the Cornucopia now, the rest of the tributes either fleeing in the forest, or lying bleeding out of the floor._

_The fighting was over quickly this year; probably because the ones who stayed were quite young- there was only one 18-year old- and two 16-year olds –including the tribute from District 4- but the rest were small, underfed young tributes. Most of the others who had sense- or whose mentors did- had run._

_They would soon find they could not run far. The Arena was smaller than usual this year, and as the camera switched from the dead bodies, to the triumphant careers, to the running survivors, it was clear the 45th Hunger games had indeed begun._


	2. Jolissa

Jolissa.

I watched my twin brother starting the fire with growing frustration- and, admittedly, amusement.

"You're doing it all wrong" I chided, letting my legs swing with a guilty glee as I watched him.

"Shut up, will you" He snapped back at me, flicking his ear-length black hair in annoyance.

"Whatever. I don't care if you don't know to light it, but if the fire doesn't get started soon, it won't be warm enough to heat the house tonight." I said lightly, pushing a golden-brown curl out of my face and fixing my eyes of him.

We have the same shaped eyes, me and him; that's about as far as our resemblance goes. We have the same nose bridge- it's hard to explain, but though our noses are different sizes, if you look at them from the side, we both have the slight curve upwards and the same nose tip- an angular one. Every sibling in our family has the same jawline, too, but that's not a twin thing.

Besides, his eyes are a deep green and mine are rich brown-and apart from the slight similarities, we are polar opposites. I swear, in our mother's womb I must have taken half of the genes while he got the other half. I'm good with books and numbers- when I get the chance, I don't lose my temper easily and generally have a shy disposition.

Adron is a brute.

Well, OK, maybe I'm being a bit extreme, but he's a fighter. He dislikes puzzles and challenges unless he can punch them in the face, and has short wick of temper. He's loud, obnoxious-lazy, when he gets the chance- and generally he just rubs me the wrong way every time we are in each others delightful company. End sarcasm.

People are often surprised we are twins, because Adron looks about 5 years older than me, and sounds like it, too. He is 5'11, already starting his beard, and had the voice of a bear.

Adron grunted, stood up quickly and kicked the wall in frustration. I flinched. I hate when he does that. It reminds me how skinny I am, and how little muscle I have in my body compared to him. The Capitol keeps us fit all right, even if they do keep us in the factory sewing all day after school- the long walk there, and the extra jobs we all have to do see that we don't get limp and weak.

"You do it then." He snarled and shoves the flint at me. I smiled sweetly at him, hiding how intimidated I feel and crouch down by the fire, almost instantly setting the paper underneath alight.

Adron gave a snort, and thundered out of the room, stopping briefly to apologize to our older sister, Nera after bumping into her. This almost made me echo his snort. The only person who seems to have Adron's respect is Nera, likely from them fact we all used to love and look up to Nera when we were little. We still do now, just not in that sibling-worship way that we once had.

"You light the fire for him?" She asked, smiling sweetly as she set her basket of clothes down. She looked very like me- curly, thick, golden-brown hair, brown eyes, the same round face and freckled skin- yet I was about half an inch taller; though at 13, I've only got a bit more to grow, she hits the no-grow stage in a year.

"Yup."

She smiled again, more humorously this time, and then sat down by the fire. She wasn't one for useless talk- except with me, sometimes.

Her face got slowly darker as she stared into the fire, and I took a guess why.

"We're not going to get picked tomorrow." I told her, the uncertain words hanging in the air as I went over to sit next to her.

"I don't need comforting, Jolissa"

"I do." I said quietly, loosing my brave face and revealing my true feelings.

"Hey! What happened to 'we won't get picked tomorrow'?" She retorted.

I shrugged. She knew I was just trying to make her feel better.

"Hey, come on! My name's only been in 10 times, and yours has only been in 3." She told me, flicking me on the nose. The warm orange light dance on her face, giving her eyes a hollow look.

"You know that's not even including tessera, Nera."

"Well, don't worry about that, I've been the only one putting that in"

I look at her guiltily. I've never been good at lying.

She swore.

"You didn't Jo, that was so not necessary! I got plenty for us!" She said.

I knew she was more upset that angry, but the needle in her voice still pricked me.

"Hey! I'm not the only one! Adron showed he had a heart and we both put it in."

"What! You both gave tessera? And you and him worked together?"

"Well...not much. And we were both hiding it- we went down at the same time though, so our plan failed."

She shook her head.

"You twins" She said. "Well I suppose there's nothing I can do about it now. If you get chosen tomorrow, I will volunteer for you- Not that it's going to happen anyway." She added hastily, after catching the look on my face.

"Nera, you know you can't. You have this family to look after! If I got chosen, you would have to stay behind and look after it- you would be missed more than me if you were gone. I'd be the one volunteering for you."

I said. She looked at me solemnly.

"Nera! You've got to promise you'll let me volunteer for you!"

She continued looking at me, then spoke.

"I can't do that, Jo" She said softly.

"Fine. Then promise you won't volunteer for me if I get chosen -For the family's sake." I ask, my eyes wide with pleading.

She sighed, and after a long pause, she relents.

"Fine I promise. But I will miss you. A lot"

"Huh. Imagine how I'd feel. I'd never get to be a full-time teacher. Or see what Adron doesn't do with his life. And I'd never see Lladner his his teens. I've been waiting for his voice to crack ever since I realized we sound exactly the same!"

Nera snorted at my weak attempt at humor.

"Listen, Jolissa, girl. Every family is District 8 is having the exact same conversation right now! And that's the amount of chance you'll be picked. The are kids older than us, kids who are poorer and get more tessera. They have more of a chance than you. So don't go worrying yourself about the hunger games no more." She said putting on a light, funny accent our grandmother had.

I smiled at her, not entirely comforted by the reminder that someone was getting picked tomorrow, but in the warm firelight and her warm gaze, I felt a lot better

She was right, too. The next day after I had, as usual, spend my time examining our newest victor Rayon (whose pleasant face always distracted me somewhat from the games), Schmidt Hemes and Kelisha Reddins got picked for the 41st hunger games. Kelisha had been in my class, and I spend the majority of the 'holiday' we were forced to watch the games cowering in my father's warm chest. The games, as far as I could remember, were in a very barren landscape, with a lot of open spaces, one cliff and short, useless grass. At least, that's what I took in before everyone started dying. I then curled up and watched Adron stare blankly at the fights. I saw him murmuring to himself sometimes, muttering something about 'should' and shouldn't'

The next year- 42nd Hunger games, we were safe, not picked, and the games were somewhere my grandma called the 'badlands'. I was focusing on her the whole time, making her tell me stories that her grandma told her, about how we used to live near the badlands, and how the robbers and thieves used to go and hide there from the police when they wanted to get away. From my brief glances at he screen, I saw it was pale, grassy and had lots of rocks and crags for hiding away in.

She died that winter, my grandma, which was really upsetting. She was the best embroider I knew, and after that I used to take up my clothes that she had worked on and would rub them slowly against my cheek, taking in the delicate stitch work. Well, at least I did until Adron caught me. After that, I left them alone. I did not think about the games, then, caught up in real, solid life, not the far-away worry of the dream-like horror that haunted every year.

My brother got more and more frustrating at 15 than he ever had been before; because now I had to watch him at school get attention from girls who only saw the side he showed them. They would giggle and hang off him like puppies would to a master, and he of course reveled in the attention. I spoke to Nera about it, but she said it was a phase and we shouldn't worry too much about it. I started to worry, though when my best friend Lori started showing interest in him. On top of that, too he would skip out of evening work every other day, endangering himself to getting exposed by the peace-keepers and docking pay form our family's meager supply.

"I mean, come on, Jo, He's super cute, and totally knows what he's doing." Said Lori, trailing her shoe into the dusty pebble on the ground. The road was musty and dirty, a streak of yellow-brown on the green-brown grass. It was crunchy and dreadfully familiar- connecting the factories and the town in one sloppy brushstroke.

I pretended to gag.

"Oh, come on Lori, have you seen the way he treats me?"

She gave a despairing glance at me. We were walking home, a brief pocket of time where we had free conversation, and a break from work.

"Jolissa. He doesn't like you. Have you figured?"

I ignored this.

"But cute? Really? Why?"

"Jolissa, you really are oblivious. He's not the only one in you family whose been getting lots of attention."

"Nera's always-"

Lori stopped, and caught my arm. Her small wooden charm bracelet stuck up as it pressed into my sleeve.

"Jolissa" She said, exasperation in her voice. " I'm not talking about Nera. I'm talking about _you_."

"Me?" I said confused.

"Yes. I mean, come on, _Cross Sher _was hitting on you today."

"Wait, you mean when he was saying my hair would look better on a walrus than on me?" I said in disbelief. "Lori, that is called mocking."

"No, it's called teasing, and it's a way of _flirting_."

I still didn't believe her. Maybe. Cross did have an odd smile on his face when he said it at the time, which I didn't get. Maybe it was...friendly?

"Well, he's going to have to do a lot better than that if he wants me to like him."

"Don't you see? That's the point! You're 'hard to get' attitude is one of the main reasons they keep trying!"

"Honey, that's not a 'hard to get' attitude, that's a 'leave me alone' attitude. I was trying to work when Cross made his comment. It was really annoying! Besides, there are girls way prettier than me in the class."

Lori shook her head. Her black hair was whipping in her face, and she looked kinda sad.

"Oh, Jo." She said "One day, maybe you'll get it. You're one of those girls! You're different, in a cute way! you spend all your time with your nose in a book, oblivious to the world, and you have the little expression when you're trying to concentrate. Plus, you have a hard-to-get attitude- and you don't even appreciate what you have."

Her expression made me wonder if she was one of the girls who wished she was me.

"Lori. Listen. I want to focus on work right now, and my family. I don't have time for frolicking around with boys, especially when their best attempt at courting me is comparing me to a walrus. If I do want a man, I want a real man, not a immature school kid. Which means I'm going to grow up before I start looking for love."

Lori didn't look convinced.

The rest of the school year, I did notice it though- the guys who were constantly distracting me from my work. I decided to abandon my polite responses to their comments- which seemed to encourage them- and instead ignored them firmly. They seemed to get the message, and pretty soon I shrunk to the shadows of the class, leaving the boys to but the other pretty girls in our class- the ones who wanted guys, and who saved up to actually buy a tiny bit of make-up.

The 43rd hunger games, I was closer too graduating, and spend more and more of my time in school studying, being ignored on the most part.

The year after that, I spent my time studying and reading, learning about the world inside of books. I found fiction books pointless- they taught me almost nothing about the real world- and spent my time with my nose stuck in all the non-fiction I could lay my hands on.

Cross Sher got reaped that year –the 44th games.

I managed to watch his stomach being cut open in the initial bloodbath, and ran to the side to throw up. His face, the time he teased me by telling me my hair looked like a walrus- or something like that- ran over and over in my head; his half friendly smile lifting again, and again, and again.

But never in real life again. Just always in my head. Again. Again.

I used the rest of the games to study Lladner- 11, now- grimly face the horror of the games under our father's comforting arms, and trying to dispel that smile from my thoughts.

Of course, with the coming of the 45th Hunger games, my mind abandoned all thought of work, and boys. My worry wormed its way down in my head, erasing all things my minds deemed unimportant. I was flung, unsupported back into the terror the games brought every year.


	3. Plucked

Jolissa.

The morning of the 45th reaping, my family gathered somberly in the square, waiting to sign in. Around us, ahead of us, the crowd seemed as though it's attending a funeral- which, I supposed, it was. We had already watched the reaping of the areas before us- though, as usual I had tried not to remember the names or faces.

Nera squeezed my arm. I looked at her.

"Let's get this over with, huh?" She whispered. I nodded, swallowing.

After we signed in, we were pushed off to the side, into a roped- off area for the 12-18 year olds. I could feel Lladner pressed up to my side, and squeezed his arm. It was his first time participating in the reaping. I half smiled to myself. I guess it was my turn to be the reassuring older sister.

"Hey, buddy." I hissed, my nervousness catching my whisper in my throat and tuning it nasty. I tried again.

"Lladner. It's going to be fine." I say, smiling at him. He smiled back up at me, his big grey eyes and blonde hair making him adorable. He always had managed to get favors because of his looks -one or twice, free food for us. He was my little buddy, and I was had favorite sister. Not boasting, but he annoyed Nera too much to be close to her, and I had the patience she didn't.

I dropped him off with the other boys his age and stepped forward a few paces into my zone. I looked around, but had somehow missed Adron and Nera. I sighed, and shuffled till I was beside Lori, and she gripped my arm tightly. I could understand. The reaping were the worst part of the Games for me- at least I could hide from the other parts.

We waited a while, in silence, and the mayor stepped up and recited the familiar history of Panem, the reason for the games. I've heard it a thousand times, each time more grating than the last. He then read out our list of victors. We have had 4 in our history, which is a fairly generous amount- more than 11 and 12 can boast though far, far less than those of the career districts. Only 3 of our victors are still alive, though – 3 men, 2 strong and fierce, the other in his 60's. They were all up on the stage, looking down at the crowd. The youngest looked sad, the middle casual and the oldest looked sad again. The youngest one- Rayon- was looking near to where I was in the crowd, and I studied him as I usually did. His face was longer than a usual face, and very angular. He had a strong chin, a longish nose that looked like it had been broken in the middle, though it was still straight. The bump was very becoming on him. His eyes were long and thin, and had a depth too them that only the sane victors seemed to have. His hair was thin and brown, bits hanging in his face and the rest tucked behind his ears. In the few years I had observed him, he had become a comfort to me at the ceremony; his face was smooth and looked very nice, and he helped calm me down, yet the change I had seen in those few years was worrying; each year he seemed to look more and more withdrawn and worried; like the games still had an effect n him every year.

The mayor then introduced our escort as 'Aziel Lace'

Lace was an underweight, if short, Capitol woman who (wrongly) seemed to think cat ears were becoming on her. She had a thick, frizzy head of black-and -gold hair that surrounded her face like a helmet. She smiled an almost winning smile as she took the mike.

"Welcome to the 45th annual hunger games, District 8!" She squealed at us. I flinched at her voice, then leaned over to Lori.

"Think she's been sent here to torture our ears as some kind of punishment?" I mutter. Lori practically collapsed in giggles, though I thought some of it was nerves. I chuckled to myself, then caught sight of the glares being directed at us and stopped, tugging at Lori to do the same.

"District 8, welcome. You have, for years provided an invaluable source of clothes for us. We at the capitol appreciate that very much." She flashed her teeth at us in an attempt at a smile. No-one smiles back. We knew how much the capitol adores clothes.  
>"It is now the time, once again for me to select the Tributes to represent your district to participate in the games." She scanned the crowd, lingering on the part sectioned off for the 12-18 year olds, as though wondering which one of us will be chosen.<p>

"Well, no use waiting is there?" She announced, and plunged her arm into the glass bowl containing the girls names. I tensed, and felt every girl around me do the same.

The chance is slim, the chance is slim, I chanted to myself.

Aziel plucks a name from the bowl, and hold it up to the light. The she takes it, unfolds it and glances as the name. I hold my breath.

But someone has to be chosen. Why not you?

The thought stopped my chanting dead in its tracks.

"Jolissa Jade!" Squealed the woman on the stage. The silence is horribly heavy.

It's me, I thought.  
>Me.<br>Me.  
>Lori nudged me forward, and I stumbled, my brian numb. What was I supposed to be doing? The guards came up and surround me, pushing me forward to the stage. I imagined the sound of my mother's crying, as I knew she will be doing that night. I felt terribly confused, as though this all might be some kind of joke, and Aziel would soon announce that it's not actually me, but someone else. That I will be allowed to live my life, find a proper man, become a schoolteacher.<p>

But instead I am lead away from Lori, who's looking at me with a look I can't quite recognize. I swallowed, trying not to cry myself, and think of Nera. She would probably be recovering now, and getting ready to volunteer. But she can't, I thought, she promised.

"I-" Her voice break through the crowd, loud and strong. I lost my head.

"NERA YOU CAN'T, YOU CAN'T, YOU PROMISED" I yell "THEY NEED YOU!" My voice went quieter. She'd stopped shouting. I was at her level now. My guards had stopped but their grips were tight around my arm, ready to drag me.

"They don't need me." I told her. I was suddenly aware that this was on television. "Nera, you promised. Remember? They need to here, to help them survive." I was looking into her brown eyes; the same brown as mine. They were brimming with tears. She looked down, and I knew she knew I was right. I took a step towards the stage, the the guards, still cautious, started forwards again.

On the stage, I stood, staring at the crowd blankly. Aziel lifted my arm to the crowd, a gesture that I have never seen in other reapings- maybe it's her signature escort move or something- and the crowd applauded. We know that we must clap, we must celebrate the games, the tributes. It's a sick way for the Capitol to torture us, as the people in charge know full well how we hate the games.

I am going to die soon, I thought. There's no way I'll survive in the games. For one, I can't stand the sight of people being killed, let alone killing. I may get somewhat far on my knowledge, but sooner or later I'd have to kill, and I know I can't.

I looked over at Aziel as she picked the boy's name, reaching into the bowl and picking out a fresh slip of paper. From my stand beside her, I caught a glimpse of the name as she unfolded it, and I went numb with shock. Chance did not like me that day.

Even Aziel paused for a second.

"Adron Jade" she reads out.

We are going to make hunger game history. Twins. In the games.

The air was broken by my mother's scream of anguish. I flinched. That was definitely not allowed. I looked at her, and saw Peacekeepers moving in, surrounding her. I saw my father, waving them off, taking my mother's hand and trying to stop her crying, but she did not and the Peacekeepers rounded in on her. They took her away, escorting her out of the crowd. I fade out; all I remember from there was shaking my brother's hand.

I let myself respond for the first time as I looked into Nera's face. I hadn't been responding, just staring the the most plush room in the whole of District 8. The bright couches and the thick floor made me feel sick at the amount of wasted carpet.

"I'm sorry" I whispered, then threw up on the floor. She waved away my apology, and offered me her jacket as a tear slid down her cheek. I ignored her jacket and instead wiped my mouth on my sleeve.

"It's not your fault. You're right. I should stay. Especially since Adron had gone too."

"Has" I corrected gently.

She laughed.

"Always the grammar peace-keeper." She sniffed.

I had already said goodbye to my Dad – who had given my a sewn badge made my grandma and my token- and had had a very painful conversation with Lladner.

"Do we have to drag this on?" I asked with a faint smile. I wanted to be nothing but alone right now.

"No." She said, and burst into tears. I hugged her awkwardly- She never usually lets me see her when she's emotional.

"Bye" I whispered.

"Bye" She mumbled back. I continued our hug as long as I could, even though her sobs were soaking the shoulder of my jacket.

"Well, you better go say bye to Adron" I told her.

"I did." She sniffed.

"Oh." Is all I could say. I felt a slight pang of jealously, which I brushed away.

"Jolissa? Promise me one thing? If you do come out alive, don't let it turn you mad." She said. I looked deep into her eyes, and sensed a sadness. I knew she was thinking of Selanne. She was our second victor, and when she got back, went and strangled her whole family and then hung herself. That kind of mad.

"I promise" I told her.

She nodded, and I walked her to the door. We hugged again, longer.

"Love you Nera-bear" I said.

"Love you too Jo-Li" She says back. Then she's gone.

I was left to my thoughts: I'm in the hunger games- with my twin. Who I'm not entirely sure is not going to be the one who kills me. My family will lose at least one, probably two members in the next few weeks. Adron might have a chance. Me? No.

I got a few more visitors, who I was polite too, but I wondered why they were there. Wouldn't it be easier to just forget about me? To have the memories of before I was here? Why must he people come and torment me?

I find myself breaking down into tears when my old teacher, Mrs. Leaner came to visit me. She was my trainer, and was the person whose place I was going to take. She would have to find a new apprentice. This was stark realization that I would be gone forever in just a few weeks, maybe less.

Then Lori came in.

"Goodbye." She told me. She looked sad at first, but as she stepped into the room, that faded and the air about her is almost...smug?

I suddenly remembered her face as I was lead away by the guards. It was satisfaction. Grim satisfaction.

"Get out." I said, and my voice shook not sure if it meant the words it was saying. I was confused, deeply confused and it was clearly evident in my voice. She smirked and stepped towards me.

"No, I've got something to tell you, Jolissa, that I've wanted to tell you for years."

I stared at her. This was not what I needed right then.

"See, _Jojo, _I hate you. You and your pretty face and your smart attitude. I have been friends with you all these years to try- to _try _- to get some of your damn luck." There was a hate in her eyes I had never seen before. A hate that burned me from the inside.

"You are a self-centered, ungrateful brat. You could have had everything -_everything-_ I have ever wanted. And you tossed it all away. You know you who you could have been? you could have been Geedy Thomson. You could have been Marissa Taylor. And you weren't- not even for me. " She paused here, looking at me with disgust.

"You're going to die, Jolissa Jade, and I will finally get my share of what you have taken from me all these years. Oh, and by the way, you're brother's a whore."

"What has that got to do with anything?" I snarled at her.

"Well, it's just that I know from experience."

"You're a backstabbing lair, Lori Temple." I declared, angrily. But though I was furious at her, her words were cutting into my stomach, and made me feel weak. I felt like I was in a very bad dream. Lori wanted me dead? Surely, surely this _must_ be a dream.

She spat at my feet and walked out of the room. I collapsed in on myself as soon as she left the room, all my fight gone. I started to cry. My best friend was never my best friend. She wants me dead. I and my brother are being put into the hunger games. I would never see my family again.

I really could have done without that little scene just before I was going into my worst nightmare.

I was still crying weakly as I made my way out towards the train. Adron was there, but I ignore him as I see his back is turned to me.

Rayon was standing there, but the other victor- the grumpy one whose name I didn't remember- wasn't anywhere to be seen, and neither was the older one.

Just before I stepped out into the space where the cameras would focus in on us, Rayon took hold of my hand.

"Jolissa, is it?" He said. His voice was young and cracked, and not like I thought it would be. It sounded sad. I looked up at him. He lingered on my face, and then dropped my hand, as if just realizing he had taken it. It was odd, seeing his face so close- I had never thought I would. It made my years of staring at him seem creepy, and me feel nervous, as if I was meeting a rich Capitol person.

"If you want to do well, you have to listen to me. You are special, and special people get sponsors. You are one of the extremely rare cases of siblings getting picked and you need to play that to your advantage. You need to work together." He said awkwardly. He seemed to be trying to say something comforting, but he was not helping.

I stared at him. Adron did too.

"Excuse me?" I said to him. The cold was beginning to seep though my jacket, and into my shirt. I was not expecting him to say that. I blushed as I realized what I had been expecting, but he _had_ just grabbed my hand. You can't grab a girl's hand -especially when she's so emotional- and not have her expect something more...romantic. Not that I wanted romance. True, he was old enough to be mature, but I didn't know him...Ahh, I was so confused and started crying again, feeling too tired to deal with anything right now.

"You need to be a team!" He said, his hand hovering by my shoulder, and his voice sounding alarmed.

"Not a chance" Said Adron, and even in my tearful state, I could agree with him. It's wasn't that I didn't want to help Adron- or even that I felt he didn't deserve me help. I had felt embarrassed to have expected something from Rayon, and hopefully my reaction to his advice would put off any thoughts he might have had of how silly I was. Not that I cared, right?


	4. Adron

Adron

I sat in my carriage, and stared out of the window. The window was a Capitol window, of course, so like everything in the red carriage it was clean and spotless. I was sitting on the small comfy chair by the window, the spines of the chair digging into my back as I sat in a slightly awkward position. The lull of the sound of the train against the tracks was different on the inside- on the outside it was a terrifying, deafening roar, warning of death between its wheels and the tracks. Everyone in our District knew how dangerous trains could be, but on the inside it was more like a melody- a dulled song telling me that I was safe in this powerful beast. I had never been inside a train before, and it was a lot different that I expected.

The memories of the train station came back to me. It's where I used to go when I skipped work. Not the Station that was in use- an old, wrecked one that was deserted. It had been bombed in the war, and was now starting to succumb to the elements. It was a peaceful place -a green place, and a place where I go could and give my all to whatever I wanted, and yell and holler, run until I was tired and then train; practice.  
>It was my place- or it had been until Lori had followed me there. I knew Lori had liked me, but that wasn't anything special. Most of the girls in my class did. Sure, she was Jo's friend -or I thought that at the time- but I had never suspected how <em>devious<em> she was. She had come into my place one afternoon, and confronted me there.  
>I had been afraid she was going to tell the peace-keepers where I went off to every other day. I had been betting on her crush on me that she would keep her silence, but things had gone differently. She had blackmailed- yes, <em>blackmailed<em> me. She told me she'd tell unless I listened to her. She was decently attractive, and what she demanded wasn't out of my service to do- at the time it had seemed like a good idea. When I had got home though, and looked at my family, it had made me feel terribly guilty. I had hoped that when I went back, she would not be there, but she was. She blackmailed me again, and I gave her what she wanted. She had then snuggled on my chest and just talked.  
>It was mostly boring, listening to her feelings, but some of it, I was horrified by what I found out. Lori was one of the most twisted people I had ever met. The secrets she unraveled, the thoughts, the plots were disgusting, and it had made me more ashamed to know that I was part of them- that I was going along with them. I had found that she hated Jolissa more than anyone else in the world, which confused me, because I had thought they were best friends. Lori scared me. It happened for a few more weeks- her coming to the train station, and I really resented her taking away what was mine. My place. I had ended up finding a new place- an abandoned factory behind the others, but it wasn't as secluded as the train station, and I almost got caught multiple times. I avoided Lori at school, and tried to erase from my memory what we had done together. I had focused instead on the hunger games.<p>

The Hunger Games.

I felt a slight chill run down me. I knew I could do this. I felt like I was born for this moment, ready to fight- and win. Though I was looking outside the train, watching it raining dully, over the barren landscape, I saw none of it. I was seeing the many other Games I had watched throughout the years. How, in every one, I knew who could have won. I had guessed their moves, taken in their strategies, seen their flaws. I had known when one of their plans was going to fail and why.

I had made my plans around this, made my life, my schedule on this strange curiosity- to see if I was imagining my skill in their area, or whether I was actually good. Looking at the other reapings today, I had already sussed out which ones were likely to take the win. Others, I would have to study more to see if I was right, but I had five in the danger zone already. The career tributes, as always, would be the most dangerous. There was a short boy from District 1 this year, though I was not deceived by his small figure; I had seen the compact muscles, the determination, and triumph on his face as he was allowed to volunteer. Yes. Their was a reason why this unusual boy was District 1's tribute. The other career tributes were powerful, and I had taken note of all of them; they were not particularly special, however- just the usual well-trained tributes of Districts 1, 2 and 4. The girl from District 2 was very pretty, though. That would get her sponsors. The District 9 girl had looked very much like Jolissa, which I had found ironic.

I had made an effort to block out their names. Those were things I had not wanted to know- names, I felt gave a certain hesitancy to one's attitude towards harming another, and I could not afford a hesitation in whatever arena they were put in. And then there was the District 11 Girl. She had stuck out to me because of the way she walked- cautious, extremely cautious. She showed intelligence, and on top of that a nimbleness I had detected. She was someone to be wary of. She looked 18 -the last year she could have been chosen- and her frustration had showed, briefly on her face. That weakness I would not soon forget.

And then my mind swung to the clip I had watched of District 8's reaping. How my stupid sister had made a huge scene in front of everyone. It had stuck out among the videos- the only other noticeable one was District 6- whose male tribute had fainted. Our District would had been fine besides that. And of course, the fact that me and my twin were chosen. That was sure to cause a stir. I cursed in my head, the whole thing making me frustrated. I had wanted a forgettable entrance, but now all of Panem knew me as the 'Jade brother' as the commentators had said. Their comments were still ringing in my head.

"Twins! In the games! This is exciting, isn''t it!"

"Yes. It's not usual that sibling get picked, though they make memorable scenes in the arena. Remember that brother and sister - ages ago, this was- that got locked in that death match after thinking they were trying to poison each other?"

"Yes. It was barely the second day, wasn't it?"

"I wonder how these Jade siblings are going to fare..."

And then the program had moved on to District 9.

I knew that the relationship might give me a slight advantage over the other Tributes -perhaps they would be less hesitant to attack if they thought they had a chance of being targeted or revenge by Jolissa. I snorted. The idea of Jolissa getting revenge was almost amusing.

Jolissa would be a problem. I always felt stupid around her- she had a way of pointing out whatever I was doing wrong, or what I misunderstood, or correcting me. It made me feel like I was in Grade 1 again, being taught my ABC's.

That was not the main reason I had not wanted to team with her. Intimidating as she was with her books and sharp tongue, I did not want to be around to see her die. I knew she would- her smarts, perhaps may have helped her- if she had some guts. If she was not afraid to attack – or defend- she might even have a fighting chance in the finalists.  
>But all I had to do was picture her watching the Hunger Games on TV, cowering away from the violence, covering her ears at the cries, and I knew she would never harm anyone, not even to save herself. I didn't even know if she was going to have a will to fight even to survive herself in the arena. I didn't want to see her give up, to be murdered by another tribute. She was not going to last past the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. It might put me off, watching my sister die. I mean, we don't get along, but we shared a womb once. That had to count for something, and besides I knew her. I knew her name, and her likes and all the little things that define a person. That was not going to help. I didn't even want to think about what would happen if it ended up just me and her. It was extremely unlikely, but I couldn't get the image out of my head.<p>

I wrenched my thoughts away from Jolissa, and to our mentors. The oldest one- Woof, his name was- well, he had just turned 60 this year, and there were only up to two male mentors allowed in the training. You would have thought they'd cut him some some slack because we had absolutely nil female tributes, but honestly he looked kind of relieved when he told us.  
>Then there was Rayon- he was the most recent winner. I hadn't seen his games, but he was 24, which meant he had won around 6- 12 years ago. I wrote out the calculation on a sheet of paper in front of me. I wasn't sure I had got it right, but Rayon had won in my lifetime, probably when I was too young to remember the games. Before I had started studying them, anyways. I wasn't too sure about Rayon- he looked like a winner by chance, yet he always seemed to be the most involved with the District 8 tribute training. They hadn't won since he started. I decided to learn what I could from him, but who I really wanted to train from was Chintz, though I knew I would have to fight to get him to help out. He was, from what I had seen, a tough middle-aged man who had given up training tributes when Rayon have stepped into the scene. I was sure he had something more valuable than Rayon to teach me, though. Much more valuable.<p>

I was considering how to convince Chintz to teach us, when Aziel Lace poked her head through the door and informed me that it was dinnertime. I shook my head at her accent- I still couldn't accept it as real- every time she spoke I found myself wondering why she was pronouncing her words so funny. I sighed, removing myself from the window, stretched out my stiff legs and headed out to eat.


	5. Passage

Jolissa

I sat in my carriage and stared out of the window. I felt very weak, very fragile and had just decided to stop crying on and off like I had been for the past hour. I just wished I wasn't alone. Alone meant nothing to do, and nothing to do let my mind wander back to what was still a very tender subject. When you find out that your best friend might never have been your best friend, it shakes you. Why had she even stayed with me all those years anyway? Why hadn't she just up and left?

What if all my relationships were like that? What if Nera actually resented me, Grandma had only been tolerating me, and Lladnder always scoffed behind my back? How could I tell if someone loved me or was just pretending?

Well, if not-one actually loved me, than there would be no-one to miss me when I died in the games. This thought, though comforting in theory, did nothing to improve my mood- probably because, though they may not love me, I still loved each and every one of them- including Lori. Or the Lori who I thought was there- I missed the person she had pretended to be. I wondered why she had told me, why she hadn't just let me die believing that she cared-but maybe she wanted to shake me, wanted me to know the hate that had poured from her eyes when she had told me she was never there for me- deliberate before the games because she wanted to increase the chance the games would kill me.

In the end, the subject hurt and confused me too much, so I decided to carry on as though nothing had happened. I would fight the memory if it came up, every time so I would not dwell on it. I steered my thoughts to the other reapings we saw today. I had not liked to watch, to see that faces of people like me, with names and families; dreams, hopes, likes and dislikes. All but one of them would be no more by the end of this ordeal.

I could feel my head throbbing and my throat swelling up again, but I swallowed back my tears and decided to buck up. It wasn't usually like me to cry, and now it was time for me to return of my closed off, sophisticated self and deal with the problem at hand. I took a deep breath.

Aziel poked her head into my door and informed me it was dinnertime.

I sat at the table, trying not to show how much I wanted to shove the food down my mouth as fast as I could. I barely chewed any of it; thankfully all I had eaten so far was just mashed potato – but I knew I would have to slow down once I got to the peas.

The train chair had looked deceivingly comfortable, but now I was sitting it in, it showed its true nature- rubbing its itchy fabric up against my leg, making me sit in an awkward position. Whenever I looked it it though, it looked like a baby could sleep for days on its smooth surface.

Adron was being surprisingly restrained- I had seen him suck up pancakes like they were noodles, shovel bread like it was grass and slurp soup, spilling half of it over himself. But he was keeping to himself, quietly eating large portions of the meal at a time, and looking up at Chintz frequently.

Aziel was taking no notice of us, just eating moodily at her spot. She had told us we would be arriving at the Capitol in a day, that we would meet our beauticians there and lapsed into a bored silence. She had barely touched her food. I wondered if she cared about her job at all. Weren't escorts supposed be friendly, peppy and happy?

I suppose she had acted more like it on the stage, but now, away from the cameras she had shown her true nature. I couldn't help but to keep glancing at her amazing helmet hairstyle. I had seen it between the pages of a book somewhere- it was called an afro- and it made her head look a few times bigger than it was. The fuzzy texture and the gold and black coloring of it made it look like she had killed a giant mutt bee and stuck in on her head.

Rayon had talked to us a bit, telling us that we needed to listen to him if we wanted to do well, but neither of us payed him much attention.

Chintz caught my eye. I was surprised. He had not payed me- or Adron- any attention before now. He had a short, grey buzz cut, and green-brown eyes and a strong jawline. His wrinkles were beginning to show, but somehow they accented the childlike expression that was across his face right now. He grinned, winked at me, and flicked a bit of mashed potato at Aziel. It landed in her hair, sitting there quite comfortably like it enjoyed its new home.

I giggled, and hearing Adron guffaw behind me, my giggle quickly turned into laughter. Aziel looked up, and seeing we were laughing at her, stood up abruptly, and stalked out. She still didn't notice the happy little blob of potato waving around on her head.

After I had finished laughing I turned back to Chintz. He was eating his meal like nothing had happened. Rayon didn't look too pleased. His lips were tightly pursed and he was poking at his food with a fork. The laughter brought up memories of the last laugh I had had at Aziel, with Lori, but I knew I should not think of that, so I turned my thoughts deliberately away, looking for something to distract myself with.

I noticed something I had not before- a small, green book sitting beside Chintz, neatly on the table. I had not had anything to read on the whole train ride, and was desperate for some anti-boredom serum to distract myself.

"What's that?" I asked him, pointing at the book. He looked at it and smiled.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He said. I suddenly realized that it was a notebook, not a published book. I blushed a bit.

"Sorry. It it personal?" I asked, embarrassed to have intruded , already turning my attention back to my food.

"You want to read it?" He asked me.

I looked up at him, meeting him in a green-brown gaze.

Rayon was looking at me curiously. I glanced back at him.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing. Go, on Chintz, you promised." Rayon said.

"Well, yes I suppose I did. Here."

And to my complete and utter surprise he gave me his notebook.

"Thank you" I managed. Why on earth would he give me his notebook. Unless-

I flipped it open to the first page.

_A study on surviving the huger games, _it read- and then in smaller letters underneath. _Not for careers. Or anyone unless I give it to them._

I flicked through the pages- They were all empty, except the first one- '_Ask me' _it said.

"Is this some kind of joke?" I ask annoyed

Chintz started laughing, a harsh, barking sound that didn't seem like it was used much. Maybe once a year. When he had stopped he turned to me, his expression oddly serious again.

"Listen, because I'm supposed to be your mentor. You'll be on your own in the arena and there's not much worth teaching you outside of that. Besides, you guys are twins, and surviving as a team is a great strategy- until you have to kill each other.."

He grinned at us sadistically.

Rayon butted in.

"Chintz is just kidding." He glared at Chintz here. "I wouldn't listen to anything he tell you. If you follow me, I'll help you as best I can."

"And turn out like the other tributes you've trained?" Asked Adron. Rayon shut up here. I cringed in my head, wondering why Adron had to say that.

"Listen I know about the arena and the games." Adron continued. "I know what strategy you'll have to have."

He looked at me, sizing me up.

"For instance; You wouldn't be a fighter. You'd have to run at an angle, if not away at the Cornucopia if you'd want to escape the bloodbath, then find water and camp down. If you grew enough balls to kill someone, you'd have to do it in stealth mode, probably from the trees if you could, picking people off. You'd have to separate the Careers, because if it came down to you and them, you would lose- so you'd have to fight it out, and probably resort to some kind of trickery in order to win."

His rant surprised me.

"Is that what you were doing when you were muttering to yourself at the screen every time you watched the games?" I asked him, genuinely curious.

He looked away, seeming annoyed.

"Or" put in Rayon "You could work together. You seem to have good strategy, but Jolissa seems to be a bookworm- and knowledge helps a lot in the non-fighting aspect of the games. If you teamed up, she wouldn't have to kill people, you'd survive in the times you weren't fighting and one of you could win."

"And the other would die." I said. "No thanks. Like Chintz said, it would work fine until we had to kill each other."

"That would be amusing." Put in Chintz. I glared at him.

"For the Capitol crowd." He added lazily, but I wasn't sure I trusted him.

"It may not have to come to that" Said Rayon, gently.

"So you don't want training from Rayon, then?" He asked.

"No." Said Adron immediately. I started to protest-what right did he have to speak for me?- but Chintz cut me off.

"Great!" He said. "Then we can begin with personal strategies."

Me and Adron stared at him. In all the games we had watched, all the reapings we had seem him in, he had never seemed to care about the contestants.

"Listen. Me and Chintz had a deal. After I won, he asked me to take over training. He said that if we got someone who wanted to fight with him- so much that they wouldn't train with me even if he wouldn't train them anyway, he'd take them on." informed Rayon.

"You mean you've been deliberately letting our tributes die? All those years?" I asked, infuriated. Kelisha Reddins' face popped up in front of me, the face of the girl who had been in my class- just thirteen when she had been picked. Cross's friendly smile lifts in my head, and starts repeating just like it did after he'd been killed. Lifting, lifting, smiling, dead. Dead.

"You've just been letting them die." I choked out, almost on the verge of tears.

"Listen." Said Chintz. He sounded angry, like I was accusing him unfairly. "If you win these games, and start training tributes, you will see how hopeless it is. I mean, they don't exactly volunteer. When have you seen a District 8 – heck even a non-career tribute make it to the finals in all the hunger games you have ever watched? Let me tell you, in the past 15 years while you have been alive, all of three tributes have made it to the final five who weren't Careers. This young lad sitting beside me-" He flicked his thumb at Rayon. "A poor girl for district 5 who lasted until she was decapitated by the victor of that year- a full five minutes after the 19th cannon went off, and a insane tribute from the 11th district who won by-"

"By taking the clothes off the other tributes, and then lead ingthem right into a trap he knew was there. It secreted a blue liquid that burns bare skin. He was protected because of his clothes, but the careers all burned to death." finished Adron quietly.

"Exactly. Three out of fifteen, and before that none from District 8 in more that twenty years. I think you can see why I _don't_ get emotionally attached to my trainees. If you want my help in this, you have to prove that you're worth it. You have to prove to me that I will not regret caring if you enter the games and do not come out."

The knot of tears was still in my throat, the smile would not stop smiling, but I could almost see where Chintz was coming from. I accepted that he was not going to change his mind because of me, though and sat back, resigned, trying to get that smile out of my head.

"Now, explain to me you feel your strengths and weakness are. We'll start there."


	6. Road block

Jolissa

We spent the next few hours both telling Chintz what we were good at. I didn't realize it was going to take so long, yet I found the light outside fleeing quite fast, and soon we were sitting in the light of the train. You couldn't see outside the window, and I felt quite like we were the only creatures sitting in our little lit compartment, floating in the black pool surrounding us. I went first- describing my knowledge and when I mentioned my books, he pressed me. I happily revealed that I spent all the time I could reading about different things. He asked me if I had read survival books, books about plants, books about creatures. He was surprised but pleased to find I had read a book on mutts- how the government makes them, which animals are easier to manipulate, and what the government would do with the ones they have.

When I was finished he studied me.

"Well, girl you certainly know how to survive in the arena- if you didn't have to fight. Fancy reading up one mutts" He shrugged, bemused.

I smiled. Rayon caught my eye and smiled, too.

"Ok, now tell me what you thought of the other games." Chintz suggested.

"I didn't watch them." I confessed. He snorted skeptically.

"You had to watch them. It's illegal not too." He told me.

I was quiet. The noise of the train suddenly seemed very loud to me, and I wondered how I had not noticed it so much before.

"Well," I mutter "I always hid whenever the fighting started. Behind my father or distracted myself with something else. I didn't watch it. I hated watching it."

Rayon gave a low whistle.

"This is worse than we thought." He said.

Chintz grunted.

"You meant you never watched the killings? Were never ok with them?"

"Ok with them-!" I started, angrily. Chintz waved me off impatiently.

"You know what I meant."

I shook my head.

"No." I said coldly. "I was never 'ok' with watching a bunch of people I could have been in school with brutally murder each other."

Chintz glared at me. I glared right back.

"You're going to have to change that if you want to last in the Arena." He told me.

"I don't." I retort.

He stood up suddenly, startling me.

"Yes, you are. I'm not going to train you unless you want to live! You owe me. We've already started this process, and we're going to finish it, and that mean you're going to have to grow some!"

"I'll live as long as I don't kill anyone!" _Besides,_ I thought, _it's not like anyone wants me to survive. Lori made it quite clear- _but I cut myself off. I realized Chintz was still going at me.

"-then you won't make it past the bloodbath, not without the readiness too!"

I opened my mouth, ready to reply, but a hand gripped my arm. I looked down, surprised to see Adron looking up at me steadily. His grip was daunting. He turned to Chintz.

"We'll deal with this later. Please carry on." He told Chintz calmly.

"Yes. We'll move one. How about you, Adron?"

I sighed to myself and leant back in my chair.

So Adron began telling him about his training routine.

It was odd, hearing what I had taken to be laziness turning out to be vigorous workouts. He had skipped work every other day, I knew that much, but I figured he was meeting girls or just resting somewhere, but if he was telling the truth, he spent most of his week working with rocks, and whatever weapons he could get his hands on.

"Adron" I interrupted him. "Why were you training so hard? No-one in District 8 can get a job that demands you be strong. Why would you do something so stupid?"

"Who says I wanted a job?" He told me, flaring up.

"Wait. Were you planning to volunteer?" I asked him incredulously.

He didn't speak, but his gaze told me everything. I felt horrible inside, but not because I was angry at him. Because I was worried about him.

"Why on earth would you do that like-like some _career?_" I asked. I had no emotion to put it that sentence except shock.

"...and this is why I didn't tell you guys. Listen. District 8 is a sewing district. What does that hold for me? Nothing. I was made for this, Jo!" He looked at me, and I saw a fire in his eyes that I had never seen before. It's almost like he had never been excited about anything else in his life up to this- I mean, he didn't even remember to be rude to me.

"I understand this- how to do this thing. I don't understand anything else. You know that." –true, he didn't really understand anything except fighting. He paused here, as though considering whether or not to tell me this bit. He takes a deep breath and looks at Chintz.

"I was planning to volunteer when I was eighteen. I know I can win this!" He sounded pleading, as though willing us to believe him. The funny thing was, I did. I almost understood why-besides the killing other people bit. Oh, yeah, and a 1/24 chance that you'll make it out alive.

"But it's dangerous." I told him softly.

"Why do you even care?" He asked. "I thought you hated me anyway."

He sounded hurt. I was hurt. Sure, we didn't get along, but I didn't hate him. I knew that much.

"I hate-" But before I could finish, we were cut off by Chintz.

"Yes, yes well this is all very sad, secrets and hidden motives and all that, but now we have a career-"

"Don't call me that." Snapped Adron.

Chintz glanced at him, and carried on "Ok, ok, now we have a volunteer, we have a chance! We have a surprise up our sleeve that no-one will expect- how exciting!" He said. He did sound excited.

"Now what do you know about bug, traps, and day-to-day survival?" He asked Adron.

"What?" He said.

"You know. How to tell if water's tainted, what to eat and not eat, how to camp...all that stuff?"

He was looking at Adron intensely.

"Well, I didn't really focus on that when I was watching the games. I mean, if I kill everyone, I won't need to survive long, right?"

Chintz exchanged a glance with Rayon, who said carefully;

"Adron, unless you're going to partner with the careers or capture the Cornucopia, you have to know how to survive."

Adron glared at the table.

To my surprise, Chintz started laughing. It made me jump out of the haze I had been in ever since he had said 'secrets and hidden motives.' I honestly felt foolish and self-pitying and for a second I wondered if he could read my thought s and was laughing at me. He laughed for a while, leaving us feeling awkward and insecure, unsure as to whether he was laughing at us or with us. After he had settled down for a bit, he stared at us both with his eyes glistening slightly.

"You know what this means, don't you? You're both going to have to team up if you want to survive more than three days! It's perfect! You both need each other!"

Adron and I looked at each other. Chintz started laughing again.


	7. Decisions, Decisions

Adron.

Work together? That was the last thing Jolissa would want to do. She had made that clear at the train station, and besides she didn't even want to live through the games. Having a partner would seriously mess up my plans. It sucked that she had gotten chosen in the first place- really, out of our whole family- even Llander- she had the least chance of surviving. She cowered away for the TV whenever a kill was made, and had not backbone for the slightest violence. She was quick with her tongue, yes, but she would bark and bark, and not bite.

Even so, Chintz did make sense. If I had her on my team, she would help me with the survival- but did I actually need her as much as they said I did? I had never really thought about it before. My thoughts on the games had never been about the boring parts when no-one was fighting- though it did happen a lot. I suppose I would need her if I was going to try and figure out how to survive the games.

"Fine." I said.

Jolissa turned to me in disbelief.

'"Wait. Hold it. You're _actually_ going to team up with me?" She said.

I nodded.

"What happened to 'not a chance'?" She shot at me.

I shrugged.

"I didn't realize you were going to be so much of an asset to me." I told her. She swelled up in indignation.

"So that's the only reason you're teaming up with me? Because you think I'm an asset?"

Geez- why was she so mad? Honestly, I didn't think I'll ever understand girls.

"Listen, Jo, if you team up with me, you'd be helping me survive. You don't want to kill- you won't- and so you're probably not going to survive the games anyway. You'd be helping preserve my life, and doing something good in the games."

I paused. Dare I?

"And, Jo, If you don't I'll never make it back to Nera, or Lladner, or Ma or Pa. They'd lose two of their kids in one go."

I dared.

Jolissa was teetering. I could see it. I had done a risky move, pulling our family into this- I didn't know how Jolissa worked, and to me she just seemed to blow up at random intervals.

She bit her lip, a worried expression on her face.

"Fine. I'll do it." She muttered, finally. "I'll help you stay alive as long as I can."

I smiled. I was not completely at ease- something else was bothering her that she was not telling. I could tell by the way she wouldn't meet my eye and looked at her food at though it would bite her. Well, if she had something to say, she should say it- no-one was stopping her. She had agreed to be my ally, though.

"Great!" Said Chintz. "Well there we go then, we've got you two sorted. Now we're going to get on with the training? Let's start with how we're going to present you to the capitol crowd-"

"Well, actually Chintz, it's pretty late." Interrupted Rayon. "They should probably be getting to bed. They'll have to face their stylists tomorrow. I swear, that was the most terrifying part of the hunger games for me…." He trailed off, shaking his head. Jolissa laughed at this, and Rayon smiled, too.

"Huh. Yeah. And it'll help that both are tributes this year are darn good looking!" Roared Chintz suddenly, surprising us all. He definitely was unbalanced.

"Got that right." nods Rayon, sweeping his gaze over me and Jolissa, and lingering on Jolissa a little longer than usual.

Good luck there, mate, I think. The last guy who had given her a look like that had been publicly humiliated by a torrent of questions by Jo as to why he was looking at her, etc... It was quite funny to watch. Most of the guys had left her alone after that. Jolissa noticed his glance and catches his eye. I wait for it.

It didn't come. Instead- he wouldn't notice it- but instead of snapping at him, or even ignoring him, she had that look on her that meant she's trying hard not to blush. I knew it well- it came out every time Ma told her she was a smart kid and that she was proud of her. Jolissa would kind of shrink a bit, wrinkle her nose, and half smile, just like she was doing now. Well, she was leaving out the smile. I was completely dumbfounded.

Rayon blushed as well, realizing that Jolissa had noticed. She shuffled out of the room, awkwardly, and disappeared.

"Nice one mate." I said, beaming and clapping Rayon on the shoulder. "That's the most positive reaction to a guy I've seen in years!" Rayon blushed even more and muttered something about not meaning to.

"Wouldn't get too close, though. She's more than likely not going to be here come next month." Puts in Chintz.

Harsh, mate. Rayon looks upset at this and doesn't respond.

I suddenly realized how young he is- not compared to me, obviously- but he hasn't finished maturing yet. I mean, he's serious enough- I reckon I'll be the same if I make it out of the games alive, but this part of him he has not experience in. Some of it's just because he's isolated, but maybe his awkwardness is because he has to be to be enthusiastic about training the new tributes every year, then having them die on him. Cross Sher suddenly jumps into my head, one of the last times I had seen him before the reaping. He was beckoning me over to him behind the school yard. I had not gone, because I was in a hurry to get to my training. I had thought that I would have plenty of time to see him another day. I had never got that chance.

I decided to go to bed, too and head off down my room. I passed a worker- some servant from the Capitol- and squeeze past.

In my room, I stared out the window. Usually, I would think about how unmanly it is to do that, however tonight I can't help it. Watching the barren landscape fly past was comforting, as if the world will strip all my troubles off me as fast as the train is stripping my eyes of the chance to make out the landscape around me.

Why did Jolissa have to get picked? Why did I? Couldn't it have waited until I was fully ready next year, when I would volunteer, and get the glory of winning as well as saving some guy's scrawny butt?

I think back to home. I wouldn't miss it much- If I won, I wouldn't be moving back there anyway -and I wouldn't miss it much. I defiantly wouldn't miss Lori. After I won, I'd get food, comfort- a whole house to myself in the victor's village. I sure could do with one of Nera's comfort talks right now though. She would tell me to protect Jo, I'm sure of it, but I know Jo doesn't want to be protected- not if it means someone else will live. Darn it, why did Jolissa have to be here?

I shook my head, my eyes heavy, but I did not want to fold and sleep yet. There was a part of me - a small part, but a part nevertheless- that was scared. Sickened. A part that was disgusted by the games. I understood why Jolissa would not want to watch the games, would not want to kill, but even as I think it, I know I can't afford to think like this. The fact was, it didn't matter if I didn't like the games, because that was life. We were in the games- and I hadn't volunteered (which at this moment, I was kind of grateful), and there was nothing that I could do. The train walls seemed to shrink on me, to compress me, and I suddenly realized how trapped I was.

See, I told myself, that's why I can't afford to think like this. I sigh, and lean down, putting my head in my hands. I was tired. I was confused. I had just had the first friendly conversation with my twin in _years. _I was sure it was messing with my mind. I thought of the tributes, and now that my bout of regret was receding, I knew I saw them all as threats. The District 11 girl. The Career tributes. And any and all of the other tributes, save for Jolissa. A thought struck me. What if Jolissa was just pretending not to win? What is it was an act, her allying with me, so that she would have a powerful person to protect her, and that wouldn't suspect her of anything?  
>I actually considered this for a while before a memory assured me that my mind was being affected by my tiredness. Jolissa, who threw up when watching the bloodbath last year? Come on. She couldn't have been faking that. She had no idea she would be chosen this year- so why would she pretend? And she would have had to pretend if she was to fit into the sinister, traitorous character I was painting her as. I closed my eyes, deciding I really needed to sleep, and crawled into bed.<p>


	8. Fix me up, please

Jolissa

I awoke to a sharp rapping on my door. Aziel was peeking her slim, afro'd head in the door of my room. Her face was sour- she apparently found the potato in her hair last night.

"It's time to meet you stylists soon." She said, her high voice grating my ears.

"What about breakfast?" I asked groggily.

"Well yes, we are having that first." She said. "And I've got you some new clothes. I know they're going to be taken away when you get cleaned up, but I can't bear to see you in those rags from you district. Honestly, I thought you guys _made _clothes."

Her lack of knowledge of District 8 vexed me.

"Every single nice piece of cloth we make goes to the Capitol, and they then decide where it goes." I told her, letting an edge into my voice.

"Yes. Well. Anyway, I expect you to be at breakfast in five minutes." She said, completely oblivious to my anger.

I sat up, muttering to myself. Those 'rags' _were_ my best clothes. Sure they were second hand and slightly worn, but they weren't that bad.  
>Were they?<br>I examined the dress Aziel has left me and compared it to my former attire. It certainly made it look shabby. I shrugged and pull on the new dress, feeling the soft fabric settle on my skin. Silk, for a common dress. I sigh inwardly at the luxury of it and gently caressed it with my fingers. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and made my way down the corridor to breakfast. The train had stopped- we had already arrived at the Capitol, however for whatever reason- maybe tradition, maybe convenience, our breakfast is waiting for us in the same room we ate the dinner in last night.  
>I took my time to study the food- I had ignored it last night, feeling too sick to eat much, and saw a wide assortment of foods and drink I had only seen in books. My mouth watered as I remembered the descriptions- bananas- creamy fruit that have a tangy taste; bacon- a luxury that we rarely had at home; a strange type of bread that I think is called a croissant that was described as 'light, buttery and airy- best served with jam'. There was jam, too and I grabbed a croissant, starting to shovel jam inside. I took a huge bite. I was surprised at how little resistance the food gave to my teeth. I was used to thick, hard bread that you almost had to gnaw apart- this melted in your mouth as though it was begging you to eat it. I tried some of the drinks- juices, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. I didn't like them much –except for the tea- finding them too sweet, too tangy or too bitter for my taste. I decide I liked simple food, and took some familiar-looking toast and eggs.<br>Adron joined us a bit later- showing none of the restraint he had had last night as he shoveled bit after bite of food in his mouth and washed them down with the nearest drink. Aziel watched him in disgust- I could see her lip slowly getting curlier as time progressed. She really was amusing to watch. I ate until I was full, and then mentally prepare for the day I knew was ahead.

I glanced out the window, and stop. I had seen the Capitol on TV, but had not expected it to be so….bright. I could only see a glimpse from the station, but it was like a gun pointing thought a crack and shooting at my eyes- almost painful with the suns early morning light reflecting off the colors.

It was not morning by the time we met our beauty team. I was on my own with them- a fact I wasn't too comfortable with, especially as I then had to strip down. I had to keep reminding myself that the saw my body as a canvas; nothing more, but it didn't stop the awkwardness of the situation for me. My team looked completely at ease. There were three of them- the leader was a stylist name Larielle, a tall, thin woman with hair that was metallic silver and gelled into thin, perfect strings that entwined to make a glittering crown on her head that was inlaid with actual jewels. Her lackeys were two women, one with white and red striped skin and hair- her orange eyes always seeming excited- and the other a scary black and white person with heavy black make-up around her eyes and thin black tubes sewed on silver making up her dress.

They then bathed me; scrubbed me; rubbed multiple handfuls of shampoo and conditioner into my hair, then proceeded in a long, painful process of ripping all of my body hair. I wondered if all of them had gone through this process at some point in their lives, and found myself half-wishing they had. They then just stood there examining me for a while, sullen expressions on their faces. It was making me feel rather nervous.

"It's going to work." Said Larielle, breaking into a smile suddenly. The other stylists nodded, too and smiled.

'Excuse me, but what's going to work?" I ask.

"Shush, girl. Children should be seen and not heard." She snaps at me.

"Unless they're being interviewed." Piped in the scary one, sounding surprising cheerful for her look. Larielle nodded again. I decided I didn't like them much.

"We're going to make you into a doll" Squealed the stripy one- Rose, I think her name was. She didn't seem able to contain herself. The other shushed her.

A doll? I supposed it made sense. District 8 was a sewing district, and it was certainly better that the ideas that some stylists had had in the past- the most memorable being dressing the tributes as needles, or as balls of twine. This was more attractive as costumes went.

They started work, with makeup first. They added golden powder to my face, on my cheeks and put black lipstick on me. My eyes, the smothered with eyeliner, and when I caught a glimpse of them in the mirror I was shocked to see them look so wide. They then took absolutely ages drawing neat little lines that looked like stitches on the sides of my face and down my arms and legs- to give the illusion I was sewn together, I supposed. I couldn't have made a doll myself- my stitching skills weren't that good, but Lori could make just about anything with a needle, thread and material. I stopped thinking then, and submitted myself to the work of the stylists. They went over me again, touching up my makeup, fussing over it, and even re-doing some bits.

They then slowly put a hot metal thing that reminded me of our iron back home- through my tangled curls, making them completely straight. I could only stare at myself then; I have never looked so odd- despite the make-up.

"Will anyone recognize me in this?" I whispered to Rose, who seemed to be the weak link in my communicating with them.

"They already know you, darling, as that girl Jade twin. We'll make you more recognizable in the interviews."

They then got a thinner iron and re-curled my hair, which I thought was pointless. The curls they had made were neater, sure, but even then, I thought it was ridiculous to change hair so much just to put it back the way it had been.

They cut my hair at the front, which I gritted my teeth at, and they straightened that bit. My new fringe was tickly and annoying, though admittedly it did make my face look rounder. I thought about telling Nera this trick, but then I remembered I would never see her again. This made me withdraw from this situation, until then they finally took out my dress. I could only stare at it. It was short, and made up of black, white and gold. The top part was strapless and made up of a blackened corset, with the lacing at the front made up of a thick, tough- if pretty- golden kind of leather. The bottom- the skirt bit- was layer upon layer of fabric. They slipped it on me, lacing it up tight, and the skirt puffed out almost 4 inches from my body. It had a light patterned black top layer with gold rimmed edges that frilled out and was indeed something a doll would wear. It looked like it was attached to the corset at the top by the same, huge golden stitching that was clearly noticeable. Beneath the top layer were loads of thin white layers of a translucent, itchy material. Despite its width and puffiness, it didn't even reach my knees; it went to about halfway down my thighs. In any other circumstance I would not have worn it, but I didn't feel I had a choice here. Rose fixed two bows in my hair, and the scary woman pulled up knee-high white stockings on me. The ends of them had black ribbons woven in and out of the cotton- ending in a neat little bow. They finished the outfit with small, thin slippers that would be useless in any real walking situation.

Overall, the whole process took about 7 hours. I had not realized all that time had passed, but when I glanced out of the window the sun was in the west and a lot lower than I had anticipated. I was starving, and when the team led me into the next room, I jumped on the food on the table, not even caring what it was. I was amazed at the amount- there was so much- and the ease in which it was put on the table. I inwardly shook my head at the casualness in which they seemed to take food.

Larielle tutted at me.

"Honestly, child, do you realize you're messing up all your makeup?" She scolded, but I didn't care right now. Wasn't that what they were there for? To make me pretty when I was messed up?

When I was done, and the team had fixed my make-up again, Adron came into the room with his team trailing behind him. He was wearing a velvet uniform, with the same obvious stitching in the seams as mine and he too had the lines drawn up and down his face and arms. His color theme was black, white and gold, as well, and he looked very smart. I looked at his face and smiled, but he only looked back coldly at me. I realized that this is what normally happened- we didn't get along. The experience with the train last night, and us actually having a conversation that didn't end in him being really immature and covering his ears so he didn't hear what I was saying must have affected me more than it usually did. This stark realization that things had actually not changed stung me. I had figured, you know with both of us about to die, we might start getting along. Well, apparently that was not the case. My mood soured, and the small bit of excitement, or nervousness, or whatever I was feeling about going on a chariot through the streets of the Capitol was gone. I wanted nothing better than to find a room and curl up somewhere inside of in and speak to no-one ever again.


	9. Costumes & disguises

Adron.

I felt ridiculous. Honestly, if they had wanted to make me look more stupid, they couldn't have done any better. Their theme was ok- I guess- but an ancient solider uniform? For a male doll? I supposed I had better be grateful they hadn't put me in a dress. I had been kind of counting on Jolissa's support to make me feel better, but her patronizing smile had done nothing. I already felt stupid- did she really have to laugh at me as well?

I had thought the train ride- and oh, yeah, the fact that we were going to die in a few days- (well I might not) might have changed her and stopped her making me feel stupid. Last night, when we had agreed to work together, I had got the illusion that she actually cared about me as a person- not just a stupid dummy who didn't know about anything. But, apparently, not. I stared down at her coldly, and saw her face fall. Oops. Was she being genuine? Oh, well. Not much I could do about that now. She'd have to live with it. Besides, the chances that she was actually being friendly to me were slim.

We waited around for about an hour, me very conscious of the new haircut I had been given- I look like a dork with short hair- and then we were ushered down to our chariots. Rayon was by our chariot, standing next to the dappled gray and white ponies of District 8, and he gave us a thumbs up.

"My, my don't you too look grumpy?" He asked, jokingly. He received glares from both of us.

"Ok, ok, geez. Well, you better at least look happy for the crowd- may I mention that these costumes are some of the best we've had in years. This is your chance to rope in some sponsors, and no-one's going to sponsor you if you look like-" Then he said something extremely rude.

Jolissa stared at him, and then burst out laughing. I chuckled, too- I had never expected Rayon to come up with something so crude.

He smiled at us.

"You ok now? " He said.

Jolissa nodded, and I gave him a half-smile.

"Ok." He backed off.

I wanted to look around, and get a glimpse of the threats I had seen. I managed to see the short boy from District 1- dressed up in lavish robes and with a huge crown on his head. The girl was dressed like a queen, and I supposed that was the theme for their district this year- royalty. It sure beat being a stupid doll.

"You don't have to be so mean to me, you know." Said Jolissa. She sounded hurt.

I snorted, not looking at her and still scanning the trickle of people making their way into the room.

"Well, you know I wouldn't if you weren't making fun of me all the time." I told her.

She grabbed my arm. I turned to look at her annoyed, but she didn't look angry, as she usually did

"Adron, I wasn't making fun of you! I was smiling with you, not at you! I'm on your team, now, remember?"

I stared at her, trying to see if she was lying, but before I could respond, the gates at the front flew open, and there was a flurry of voices and feet, hurrying to reach their carriages in time. I looked away from Jolissa- I hadn't managed to see any of the other threats- but it was already too late. The victor and stylists were backing off, and the white horses of District one was trotting out into the street to loud cheers. I suddenly realized we were about to head out into a crowd of people, all looking at us, staring at us and I became more conscious of how stupid my costume looked. I put on a smile, though, and saw Jolissa doing the same.  
>Her eyes were huge under the eyeliner, and I could see she looked terrified. Under her golden make-up I could make out she was paling, and might be in danger of hurling. I caught her eye and smiled more, and she nodded. Seven carriages had to go before us, but it seemed like no time at all before our horses were trotting forward into the crowd beyond. Then, I was being blinded by the bright lights, deafened by the cheer of the crowd; it was all I could do to keep in place and hold my smile. My eyes adjusted, and I looked up at a big screen to see me and Jo. I suddenly realized how stiff we looked, how awkward. No-one was going to sponsor us like this. I forced myself to relax, my smile to turn easier, less forced, and stood up straight.<br>I nudged Jolissa with my foot, and hoped she got the message, but I couldn't see, because now the cameras were on District 9's tributes- a lanky ginger boy and a tall, brown-haired girl that look like Nera and Jolissa.  
>They were wearing golden dresses and suits with grain crowns and belts. Their costume was sloppily made, though. I suddenly realized how lucky we were.<br>Yes, our costumes were stupid, but they were neat, and actually, Jolissa looked quite pretty in hers. I wondered if I actually looked at silly as I felt. I decided to pretend I didn't and started waving causally at the crowd. I looked at some of the faces- near the front were children, peering through the blockades or sitting on top of parents' shoulders. Their tiny faces shone with light, excitement and wonder as they stared up at the tributes. My stomach turned as I realized these kids would never know the fear and stress of wondering if they were going to be picked for the games. I tried to imagine a life like that- a life with easy food, no hard labor, and no chance of going in the Games. The idea was alien; if it was true, then these kids lived without a huge burden that I hadn't even realized the District kids had until this point.  
>I reminded myself to keep it genuine, and I grinned at the little kids. They gazed up as me in wonder, amazed that I was catching their eyes, and smiled and shrieked and tugged on their parents' clothes, pointing at me. Some of them shrank back. I looked further into the crowd, trying to discern faces, ages, types. There were so many strange styles, I felt like I was looking into a child's picture book, one where they have the strange, friendly monsters that help the kids out. Except these monsters were going to happily watch me die. I couldn't help wondering who the sponsors were in the crowd, so I beam my smile in every direction I could reach.<p>

I notice a group of girls pointing at me and giggling, and I wink at one of them, who shrieks and gets enfolded by her friends as she collapses. In my head I cringe. Ugh. Those kinds of girls never failed to annoy me- it seemed they had the same type as they did in District 8. Some parts of humanity never change. Their reaction encourages me about my appearance, though- maybe I don't actually look dumb- not to the capitol people anyway. I glance at Jolissa- she's watching me with amusement, and at my glance, turns to the crowd on her side and starts waving to them, too. The screen switches back to us- it seems to be switching on and off certain contestants, and I lift my arms up, hands clasped together in a victory signal. Flowers are being thrown from the crowd; and my signal, more come our way. One gets caught on Jolissa's curls, and I pick it off, holding it up to the air as a silent offering. We don't hold the spotlight for long- but long enough. Everyone knows the Jade twins that were picked- now they know our district, and that I have confidence.

We enter into the main Capitol square, where the rich reside, and press up to the presidents' mansion for a second before we take our places eighth along the line of chariots all lined up around the square. I continue to smile and wave as the rest of the chariots pull up. I take a long look at the District 11 girl I had noticed in the reaping; her face was hard and there was a grim determination on it. I admired her technique- the determination her face showed was to be admired, and would not be missed by potential sponsors.

We stare up at the president as he takes the balcony overlooking the square- Star is a short, fat, burly man who has small eyes and a cruel, fat smile. He's looking down at all of us as though deciding which meat to pick and eat- even besides that he reminds me of our town butcher in more ways than one. The District 12 chariot pulls up beside the 11, and the music dies down. Star welcomes up all, and as usual, the camera pans in on each and every one of our faces. I study the tributes- and when we show up, I am surprised to see we share a shot, instead of the usual individuals. I suppose this is because we are twins, but it annoys me that we were sticking out so much as a team. The anthem begins to play, and the chariots begin moving again, doing one full sweep of the town square before turning into the gates of the training center.


	10. What am I doing here?

Jolissa

Rayon and Chintz had visited us that night- after Aziel had returned- and congratulated us on our debut.

"Well done at appearing friendly! You were one of the ones that stood out a decent amount!" Rayon had said, and as we watched the re-runs, it was true. Some tributes left your mind as soon as you stopped seeing them, but we stuck out- especially when Adron had done his triumph hand gesture. I was still had at him for blowing me off earlier, so I just ignored him as we ate and then went to bed. The room where we stayed were amazing- they were full of gadgets, products, automated services, and they were all free. I was too tired to explore them all that night, so I took a simple shower- if you can call 100 knobs of settings simple- and headed to bed. The bed was really soft, and it seemed to swallow me up as I fell into a deep, troubled sleep.

The next morning, after a heavy breakfast, Aziel, Rayon, and surprisingly Chintz all appear to talk to us about training.

"Right. So, now we've got you two as allies, we're working on roles. Each of you, for the next two days, I was you two working on the thing's you're good at- Adron, that means you're going to be learning how to use weapons properly, and Jolissa, you're going to be working in camouflage, knots, plants- all the non-weapon stuff. On the third day, I want you guys fully switching places- for when one of you dies- so then, you'll be working with weapons- all of them at first, Jolissa because we don't know what's going to be in the arena, however once you think you have a basic grasp on most of them, I want you to focus on stabbing weapon, because if there's trees in the arena, then you'll probably be able to sharpen a stick and use it as a weapon- you can thank Rayon for that tactic- it's what help him win as well as slingshots- and Adron, that day you'll be working on knot, survival, etc. And Adron." He pauses here, as we're entering the elevator that's taking us down to the training center. "I want you to make the experts teach you how to hunt animals as well as people when you're working with the weapons."

"I used to practice on animals when I found them in the station. Mice and things." Informs Adron

"Did you get them?"

He shrugs.

"Sometimes. They weren't much of a meal." He said, dismissively.

Chintz snorts.

"Listen, boy, if you don't get supplies at the Cornucopia- and we're working on that, believe me, you're going to be eating any non-poisonous creature you lay your hands on, whether a mouse or a bug."

Adron nods.

The elevator doors open into a wide gymnasium, littered with all the training we could want. There were tons of different weapons, stations- and the things that caught my attention were the tables littered with plants, knots and other information. They were like interactive books that could teach me everything I needed to know- and not just in theory.

I look around, and notice that not many of the other tributes have arrived yet. There's only about 6 of them in here at the moment, and all career tributes. I shivered as I found them staring at us. Their numbers were attached to their backs- 1,2 and 4, and I felt a tugging on my back as I realized I was being tagged, too. I turned to Rayon.

"What's the time?" asked him. He glanced at a watch.

"About half past 9." He tells me.

"Aren't we supposed to be here at ten?" I ask.

He grins at me.

"Yeah, but it makes a nice impression to appear early."

I didn't really know why- by the looks of it, we wouldn't be starting until the rest of the tributes arrived anyway. I walked slowly up the group, as they seemed to be gathered around a stocky man in workout clothes. My own clothes were simple- pale gold and easy to move in. Adron's were black, but exactly the same. I was surprised to find that Adron actually measured up to the size and strength of the Careers. He was a good head taller than all of them, too. In the small space of 4 years, he had grown to a whopping 6'5", which was one of the reasons I was so intimidated by him. He had our dad's height- he was 6'6"- and his body shape too. It was almost comical to see him standing next to the small District 1 male Tribute who was barely 5'3". I wondered why he was in the career pack at all- he must have a serious threat in some other area to make up for his small stature.

I was beginning to feel extremely small and weak before the other non-career tributes name their way in. They were normal teens, like me, and none of the boasted the same stature and training that my brother and the Careers had. I was actually more fit than the Tributes of District 3 and 5- though less than average on the others. I started to worry before I remembered that I wasn't planning to outlast them anyway. It just mattered that Adron was stronger than them. I looked around rather sadly after that. It was obvious that few of them had any skills in particular, especially ones that could help them in the games. Most of them- as usual- would die in the bloodbath, just as Cross Sher had done.

I really hoped that Chintz and Rayon had a genius plan for the Cornucopia; otherwise I would be one of the more than half that would die in the first five minutes.

Once 10 O'clock came around, and all the districts arrived, the man in the workout suit informed us that we would be allowed to wander from station to station and learn what we needed at each on. He told us that we should listen to our mentors as to which tables to visit.

Then, we split. I watched Adron charge off towards the weaponry with the other careers; and to my surprise he actually knew how to use the weapons- I supposed the ones he was able to access back home, like knives and large, bludgeoning weapons- but the more detailed, inaccessible ones he had to learn from scratch, such as bow and arrows, javelins, swords, blowguns, axes and all that stuff. I head off towards a table filled with flowers, roots and leaves- ready to learn about the edible ones and the poisonous ones. I am surprised to find my memory serves me well- for the most part, I am able to figure out which ones are good and which ones aren't. I spend about half an hour going over and over- only bothering the person at the table when I had a question- unit I knew most of them off by heart- and well, I figured that if I wasn't sure, I'd just leave the plan alone.

I looked up and saw Adron working hard, concentration on knocking an arrow onto his bow, and smile. I look around; wondering where to head next and notice a group of purple-clothes people have entered the room. I assume they're Gamemakers- the people in charge of planning and organizing the games. Some of them are watching the tributes, but others are surrounding the food table amusing themselves by deciding what to eat next. I look away, annoyed and head over to the table about gutting animals. I have to grit my teeth while there, and feel sick as I learn how to cut into animals and remove their insides. There's another tribute there- a girl about my age with a rather small head and long, wispy blonde hair. I seem to remember she was from District 10. She had a distasteful look on her face, which I assume is for the gutting of the animals- but as I catch her eye, I realize it's for me. District 10…they deal with livestock. It makes sense she would look down on someone who doesn't like animal gutting.

"Do you have a problem?" I ask.

She sniffs and turns away and heads towards the table of knots- which seriously annoys me, because I was planning to head there next. I turn back to my gruesome work of picking out the stomach of a squirrel, keeping my eye on her. After she seems to not to be moving very soon, I finish my squirrel and move on to the camouflage section.

I find I enjoy camouflage- there's something satisfying about being able to hide something so that no-one will find it, and though I have never studied this form of knowledge, my enthusiasm for it and my dedication ensures I become a fast learner. I learn how to use leaves to cover object- pretty basic, but the tricky part was ensuring that know-one knew they had been moved. I practiced using vines and using them to cover holes- then how to use mud, berries and clay to make dirt cake it and look like there had never been a hole there. I was going over painting patterns on my skin for hiding, when Chintz came over.

"No offense, but you've spent two hours here. You'll have time to go over all this tomorrow and the next day, but I want you learning horizontally today."

"Horizontally?" I ask, confused.

"Yeah. You know, I want you covering as much ground as you can, then you can build on the ground up tomorrow, so go on, head over to another table."

I listen to him and head over to the knot able- where, thankfully, the District 10 girl has left- and I am just starting to study them, when we are called into the dining hall for lunch. I pass the District 9 girl as I walk in, and am surprised to see how much she looks like me and Nera. When I pass her though, I realize its mainly her hair- her face is not like ours at all.

Adron and I sit on the same table, but not next to each other. We don't talk. To my surprise, one of the careers- a well-built boy a bit older than us- came over and invited Adron to come and eat with them. Adron declined, though politely.

"Think they want to form an alliance?" I ask him.

He shrugs. I snort and turn back to my food.


	11. Not prepared

Jolissa

The day passes in a flurry of learning. It is honestly wonderful- a full day, just spend learning about whatever I want (up to a point) and no work, not socializing, just knowledge. I was a bit worried than when I got into the Arena, it was all going to float out of my head, but I figure there's nothing I can do about that- well, rxcept than study as hard as I can. That evening, when we had all been dismissed and after we had eaten, I was just getting ready to change when Chintz strode into my room.

"Right-' He began but I cut him off.

"_Please _Knock next time Chintz, in was just about to change.'

"Please don't interrupt me" He countered. I fell quiet.

'Right, follow me. We're about to go over the tactics you will be using so you survive the bloodbath."

He led me into our eating room- the biggest room on our floor. It had been cleared, the furniture pushed to the side. A load of pillows, bags, sticks and other various objects – such as foam weapons- were piled in the center of the room. Rayon and Adron were already there, along with three Capitol servants.

"So. Out tactic this year centers on your respective strengths, and depends on you working together. You are not going to be able to take over the Cornucopia, of course, but this tactic should enable you to get some decent items while not getting killed.  
>Ok, so it's going to work like this- you two, after the starting signal goes off, you will find one another. You then- together- will head into the pile, Adron- you will grab the first weapon you see. Adron, you will be entirely on defense. Jolissa, that will leave you free to grab as many as the items as you can, while Adron defends you.<br>Jolissa, I want you to go for the packs if they are there – they usually contain food, sleeping gear and small weapons. Then I want you to collect weapons. Go as far into the pile as you feel safe, and then run out. Then find shelter and water. We're going to practice it now, so Jolissa you will be able to pick up, carry and run with as many object as you can, and Adron, so that you become accustomed to being aware of multiple dangers at once. You'll start here for now, and Jolissa, you'll go here.'

So we practiced. Chintz, Rayon and the servants were out opposition, and all focused on trying to hit me and Adron with the foam weapons and sticks. We met up, ran to the pile and picked up objects over and over again, each time learning a bit more about each job. I learnt quickly to organize the objects into sizes and shapes to carry the easier- picking up with one hand and passing them to my other arm, slinging the backpacks over my arm, and the grabbing the rest. The most trouble was running with the objects- the first few times I balanced them on my legs, which meant they fell off as soon as I started running. The servants were surprisingly vicious once they got pumped up; but then I remembered something I had read in the mutt book. I had remembered it because it was about humans in it, and I was disgusted that they had put humans with Mutts.

_Avox- (name coming from Latin 'vox' meaning 'the voice of' and 'A-' meaning 'not; negative; not having', when put together in a name, meaning 'those who have no voice') A human, usually someone who committed a serious crime such as treason who have had their tongue cut out so they can no longer speak. They generally serve in the capitol, working their life sentences._

This freaked me out. What on earth was Chintz doing having criminals helping our attack?

I decided to keep quiet, on the grounds of not having them knowing I know who they are.

We practiced for around 3 hours, by which time my legs were burning and I was sweating like a pig. I knew Adron was having it worse than me- I just had to dodge around under him while he had to do all the exertion. Not that I was doing well. Gosh, I was so unfit. I had been planning to exercise more for years, but he never got round to it. He would grab the first weapon he saw, and then go crazy trying to fend off attacked from all sides. He got most of the hits, too. Halfway through Chintz actually made him tag out after he got a 'Death wound' and then it was up to me to run. When Chintz said 'Death wound' I had to concentrate on my job very carefully, because I had gotten lost in the training and forgotten that we were actually practicing for the hunger games.

Adron was hovering over me, and the sweat from him kept on dripping onto my back and sinking through my clothes. I eventually tripped over a pillow that I had dropped, smashed my face into the floor. One of the 'weapons' I was carrying stuck vertically up my nose, and I felt like it ripped through the skin and stuck out the other end. It fell out when I got up, followed hurriedly by a steady stream of blood.

"Alright, alright, that's enough." Called out Rayon. Chintz froze in the middle of starting to hurl a butter knife at us and strode over.

I clutched my nose and tried not to let the tears come down my face, but I couldn't stop them. Geez, if I couldn't deal with a nosebleed, how on earth was I going to manage when I got a real wound in the arena?

I remembered I wasn't. It didn't help the pain.

Chintz looked at me.

"Right! We're good for tonight. Well done everyone. Thank you guys." He said, glancing the Avox standing around. One of them nodded at him, the others looked scared and fled the room.

Rayon was crouched down beside me, reaching out to look at my nose, but Chintz pulled his arm away.

"We'll let her tend to it. See what she can remember from First Aid today." He said, glancing down at me.

"Thanks." I told him, the lack of use of my nose evident as it skewered my words. I pinched it, tightly at the top and swung my head forward, turning to leave.

"And we'll be practicing with weighted packages tomorrow!" He called after me. I didn't respond.

I lay back on my bed, trying not to stain the sheets as I waited for the bleeding to stop, then examined my nose with my fingers, probing it gently. It doesn't seem broken, though when I went to examine it in the mirror, it was very red in the spot where the fake weapon struck. Luckily, I didn't get a new piercing, so I guess that was a plus.

I stripped down of my day clothes- finally- and ran into the shower, so glad that I could finally wash off all the day's work. All the strain over this bloodbath tactic- would it even work?

I supposed we could only wait and find out. This wasn't a very nice prospect to consider as I lay in bed after my shower, trying to sleep.


	12. Training

Adron.

The training was a dream come true. It was amazing; to be able to learn how to use every kind of weapon I could lay my hands on- to exert myself on something other than actual work. I loved working with weapons- I was best a knives, and quite decent at axes and maces. I still needed practice with javelins and bow and arrows- and I sucked with swords unless it was a part of stabbing blindly; but I was progressing. I found the best way for me to learn was not learning a load of fancy techniques from the instructor- I learnt best from watching the other tributes. I wasn't stupid; I didn't do it obviously, but just made sure I was always behind the tribute I was studying. I kept a close eye on the District 11 girl- she was most unusual up close, a determined, hard look on her face that told me she was definitely a threat. There was another boy I noticed- a boy from District 5 who was very good and working with a knife, and dagger- he was very good at close-range combat, though if I had a spear, or other long, or large weapon I might probably better him. I practiced spears at close-range combat for a while, making sure I knew how to aim and stab them.

The boy from District 4 came over then and started talking to me.

"Tiden." He said, smiling and extending a hand.

"Adron." I replied cautiously, not taking the hand. He lowered it.

"I see you're good with weapons. Better than any other Tribute in here- besides our pack, or course." He said, eyeing my spear. It was almost a question, as if he was asking me why a District 8 tribute was practiced.

I shrugged. He didn't seem pleased by my lack of response.

"You got a sister, right?" He said. I nodded.

"Hey, me and the others-" He flicked his thumb back at the rear of the Career pack.

"Were wondering if you wanted to ally with us. We'd take in you sister, too if you'd like." He said.

"No, thanks." I said, turning back to my spear practice.

Tiden caught my spear before I could thrust it into the dummy again.

"You're not going to last without us." He said.

I turned around, light on my feet, feeling myself bounce as I looked at him. He was a few inches shorter than me and I smiled as I looked down at him. He was strong, yes, but so was I.

"Oh, yeah?" I said, tilting my head slightly. He held his ground.

"You won't make it past the bloodbath." He snarled. I snorted and wrenched my spear out of his hands, turning back to my training again, ignoring him. I accidentally whacked him with the other end. I cringed in my head, knowing he would think I did it on purpose.

He grabbed my spear again, and yanked it towards him, anger flaring up in his blue eyes.

"I'll make sure you and your sister don't make it ten minutes past the starting cannon." He hissed. I let go of the spear, and he stumbled backwards. I left him there and went to get another spear.

Chintz met me at the spear post.

"What was that about?" He asked.

"They wanted me to join the pack" I said, letting a hint of a snarl into my voice.

"Not a bad idea. The careers usually make it to the end." He said ponderingly.

"Yeah, and then turn on each other like a pack of rabid dogs" I tell him. He nods.

"Ah, you blew you chance anyway. Listen. If the careers go how they usually do, and if you do manage to last them out, they'll all work together to bring you down. Even rabid dogs are a pack. Your best bet is to split them up somehow."

Before I could ask him how, he wandered off again. He must think I knew how.

I picked up an bow and knocked an arrow. I was getting the feel of how to hold it without bruising my arm when I let it go, and to hold it steady, but my aim wasn't good past about 20 feet. I could hit the target, but I never got a bulls-eye. I could feel the District 3 tribute watching me.

Tiden's comment- it was a threat. Was he planning to target us at the bloodbath? It had sounded like it. If he got the other careers in on it, we would certainly die, but perhaps he would let his pride get in the way and just come after us himself. He didn't know our Cornucopia tactic anyway, so likely he wouldn't count on me focusing on defense. Besides, he couldn't be sure we would stick around the bloodbath anyway, but we were going to. So I'd definitely be ready for him, and when he attacked….

I surprised myself by hitting the small black dot on the target. I was sure it was a fluke, but it gave me satisfaction to see it there. I walked up the range to retrieve my arrows.

That night, after we had eaten dinner, we were put to practicing our tactic again. I was sore from last night, not because of the strain of the physical exertion, but because of the strain of the mental. It was tense, having to check all angles all times and fend off multiple attacks at once- which I did not do successfully. I knew I would have to count on the fact that I would not have 5 people all attacking me at the Cornucopia, but my mind being tense caused my body muscles to tense up, and after a few hours of that they started really hurting. I could tell this night's training was not good on Jolissa- apparently it was a lot easier when the practice gear was very light; now it was heavy, she kept dropping stuff and arranging it wrong. We were both exhausted after the nights training, and I, at least, felt more worried than prepared as we packed up. When I voiced my concerns to Chintz, however, he just smiled at me.

"You'll do fine. Besides, if you don't manage to survive this, you wouldn't have made it through the games anyway."

"That's because we'd be dead." I told him. He laughed at this, not seeming to realize I wasn't joking.

"Seriously, Chintz I really don't feel like we're going to pull this off." I told him, my brow creasing.

He looked at me, seeming to act a bit serious for once.

"Do you want to win?" He asked me.

"Yes." I said.

"There. That attitude alone is a major advantage. Now, are you willing to let anything get in the way of that?" He asked.

I shifted uncomfortably.

"No." I said.

"You don't sound sure of that."

"Well, I don't want to kill Jolissa. But I'm willing to do whatever else it takes." I confess.

Chintz looks at me for a long time. There is suddenly a depth to his eyes I have never seen before, as though he was really _looking _at me. They seemed to glisten as they stared at me.

"That will make sure you reach your goal." He told me quietly.

The he walked off.

I was really confused, and went over to talk to Rayon about it. He was pretty chill. I think we would have been friends if we were in the same class, but then again he was odd in a way that didn't fit into school. Some people are made for school, and then wither after it ends- others bloom after school ends- on their own, finally able to get enough sunlight. Rayon seemed to be one of those.

I told him about Chintz's odd response, but he just shrugged.

"Chintz is good at reading people. He told me he thought I was going to win, and he had that look in his eyes you've just described. He's odd, and tries to not connect with people who come near him, especially if he likes them. I'm not even sure if we're friends, and I know him more than anyone else. Tell you one thing, though, when he's serious, he's usually right. If he says you can do this, you can, and if he says you've got what it takes to win, than you have." He shrugs.

I look at him. I didn't expect him to mention his games, but I was really curious about them. I had been trying to figure out how he had won for ages, but I was coming up blank.

"Your games-?" I ask, not wanting to pry.

He looked at me, pain crossing his face and just walked away.

I hadn't really been expecting anything else.

I walked off to my room, took a shower and collapsed into my bed.


	13. Following Orders

_**Author's note:**_

_Wow. 13 Chapters and not in the games yet. I did a lot more writing than I realized. I'm writing more that I haven't uploaded yet, and I'm a few chapters ahead, and I still haven't got to the games. I'm considering meshing some chapters together, but I know I personally like the amount of chapters. I makes me feel more like I'm actually writing a book- and I suppose I am. Trying to at least. Sorry for the amount of errors in these, I do proofcheck, but even then they slip through. I want to thank you for reading this far, If you have, and for those of you who are waiting for the games, yes, I will name that chapter. Goodness, I know I do. Yet all this is necessary for the plot, character development, plans, etc._

_EDIT: May 11th, 2012. Doing proof reading, and you guys will be happy to hear. Sorry if I miss some stuff, but I have been doing it in the previous chapters and will be in the next ones.  
>And as a side note, I am virtually tense-blind, (and I mix up my rights and lefts easily, but that's not relevant here) and find it very difficult to notice changes in tense. It's not important to me when I read, but I realize that some of you are tense-aware and may get frustrated with my tense confusion. I apologize, and am doing my best, but I'm sure I'll mess up and so hope you'll forgive me and enjoy the story anyway.<em>

_EDIT: September 7th 2013_

_Yay more proof-reading! And correcting tenses. Can't believe there's so many small mistakes, it's really annoying to read, but I'm fixing them as I find them._

* * *

><p>Jolissa.<p>

The next morning I was surprised by how tired I felt. My muscles were aching- though I had thought that I was getting a pretty good hold on managing the multiple items I was carrying. I was retaining the knowledge I was gathering from the stations quite well- not everything, of course, but enough that I would be able to survive. I had a question pressing on my mind, so I asked it at breakfast.

"What should we do for the Gamemakers in our private sessions?" I asked, not sure whether I was directing my question at Aziel, Rayon or Chintz.

"You? Nothing." Said Chintz, and he carried on eating his food. I looked at him, a bit confused.

"Don't I want to do well? To get sponsors?" I asked Chintz. He looked up at me, wiped his mouth with a napkin and set his fork down.

"You won't be getting sponsors. He will." He said, pointing at Adron. Adron looked a bit smug about this, which grated on my nerves.

"Isn't it better that we both get sponsors?" I said.

"Not unless you're planning to split with him." Chintz replied. I looked at him. He saw I wanted a better explanation and rolled his eyes.

"Rayon, can you explain why we need to do this?" He said, turning back to his food.

"Jolissa. The scoring method doesn't just get you sponsors, it gets you targets. It gets you marked down if you do well, and we want as little attention on you as possible. We do expect you to get sponsors in other ways- for instance, your doll costume was quite stunning, and we expect the best from your interview- however, we don't want you getting marked down. So we want you to go and do your thing- but don't do it too well. Adron, we expect you to do your best at throwing weapons, attacking and basically racking up the highest score you can." Rayon told us patiently.

I understood this- and I was a lot more at peace with it than if Chintz had told me- but I couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed. I was looking forward to showing off my abilities, before the arena, stress-free and clean, but I guess I would have to wait now.

It didn't help when I remembered I was going to be practicing with weapons today. I was actually seriously worried that I was going to injure myself with them.

I walked awkwardly over to the weapon station, trying to ignore the intimidating careers practicing with their weapons. I got over to the guy who was running the station and asked him to teach me some basics that I wouldn't forget.

He showed me how to hold a sword, how to stab properly how to block, but I knew it was hopeless, because as soon as we moved onto spears and javelins, all the swords stuff went straight out of my head. I couldn't throw a javelin more than about 7 feet- the balance and weight just threw me off. It wasn't very encouraging, especially since the District 4 female was working near me, and I watched her hurl her weapon more than 15 feet. I glanced at the training dummy that now had its chest skewered and asked if we could move onto stabbing weapons.

I spent the rest of the morning learning how to attack and defend with a knife, and then a dagger. I wasn't much, but I did my best.  
>When lunch came along, I didn't feel prepared at all, and I just sit there. I ate my meal moodily- I knew that we would be tested by the Gamemakers soon. My mood worsened as the District 1 male got called up to go in alone.<p>

Adron was looking fine- probably because he gets to actually show off during his test- and I started stealing the food of his plate once I finished mine. He looks at me, annoyed and moves his plate to the side, shoveling down the rest of his food. The room is quiet as the contestants wait to be called, and pretty soon Adron is getting called up to be tested.

**Adron.**

I walked into the room, looking at the Gamemakers. My footsteps echoed loudly on the gym floor, accenting how empty the room was. I was not used to being alone in here- well, the Gamemakers were here, too, but they didn't really count so I was basically alone. I breathed deeply, and hurried over to the weapons. I was not sure what I was supposed to do, so I ignored the purple-robed people and focused on the objects in front of me. A few days, and I had definitely grasped at least the basics of the various killing tools. I hoped it would be enough to let me win the arena- or at least give me a fighting chance against the careers. I picked up a mace, and walked towards a training dummy, swinging it powerfully at the dummy's head and knocking it off.  
>I was pretty sure a human head would show more resistance, but my feat looked pretty impressive, so I wasn't complaining.<br>I put the mace aside, grabbed a spear and hurled it as far and accurately as I could. It flew at least twenty feet, and hit the dummy I had been aiming at in the hips. I could feel my breathing grow heavier as I got more and more into fight mode; I picked up a sword and hacked at another dummy standing for close range combat. Red X's were marked over it's body denoting places you would want to wound on a human to disable them, and I hit my mark each time. swords were my favorite weapon- big, and heavy, you could use them to beat someone to death like with a mace- yet at the same time they were easy to control and maneuver, twisting and turning to my will- and withe the right combination of twists and turns you could turn an attack into a defense and vice versa.  
>I put down the weapons; I decided to show my strength off now. I looked around- there were some weighted balls hanging around next to the knives so I picked them up and hurled them as far as I could; I next ran as fast as I could along the track marked in white on the wooden floor; stopping at the climbing apparatus and hoisting myself up using only my arms.<br>I jumped off the top- landing on my leg a bit funny but I jogged it off as I moved to the bow and arrow range. I shot a few times, got as close to the bulls-eyes as I could, then stopped. I lowered my weapon, stood still, faced the Gamemakers and waited to be dismissed. I had done what I needed to do- I had not been perfect, but I hoped I had been impressive enough. Some were clapping in my direction, and I tried not to be discouraged by the rest, who looked like they had not paid attention at all to my performance, being too busy eating.

"Thank you; Adron, is it?" said an elderly man- who despite the capitol surgeries had a few wrinkles on his old face. "You may go now."  
>I bent my head respectfully, and strode out of the room.<p>

**Jolissa**

I sit in my room after the session, wondering actually how well I did. I mainly stuck by the tables, sorting out the plants, slapping on a bit of camouflage, and generally not being to impressive. They had eventually told me I could go, and I hurried out of the room, leaving them to their fancy meal.

I decided I idon't want to be on my own and headed out of my room, walking towards the dining room. It was a rather grand room, with a wide open window looking out of a magnificent view of the rainbow pool that was the capitol. If you looked out when the sun was strong, the colors meshed together and launched a full-frontal attack on your eyes. It made my eyes float in and out of focus, and made me feel quite light-headed when I looked out. Most of the time, if the sun wasn't too bright it was quite nice to look out, and the buildings closest to the bottom of our tower cast pretty patterns onto the walls. The inside of the room was lightly furnished but very pretty, and the table in the middle of the room contrasted with the red because of its dark, polished wood finish.

I looked at the smaller table on the side and find that even though it's not mealtime, there was still food on the tables.

It's completely alien to me, having food available at any time in the day, and good food at that. I pick up a round, light-orange furry fruit and look at it doubtfully. I've never seen a fruit covered in hair before. I take a bite, and find it to be delicious.

I never liked reading about food, mainly because I didn't like knowing about what I couldn't have. I wander over to table in the room and sit down. The door opened and Rayon walked in, heading straight over to the snack table. I watched him in amusement; he had no idea that I was sitting there. He picked up a white roll and turned to leave but he dropped it and it rolled over to the table. He bent over and followed it, picked it up, dusts it off and took a bite. I smiled. He was literally right beside me. He turned, and he saw me. He jumped about half a foot and then automatically crouched in a defensive position, ready to attack.

He relaxed, realizing that I'm not a threat and coughed, embarrassed.

"Sorry." I told him.

'No problem. Sorry about the whole suspicion thing. Some bits of the arena never leave you, I guess." He replied.

"Were you surprised a lot in you arena?" I asked.

"Yeah. We were in caves." He said, but stops there. "If you'd done that to me a few years ago, I'd have noticed you as soon as I walked in. I guess I'm getting a bit slack.' He said, attempting to smile off his memories.

"You still going to eat that?" I said, indicating his roll, a smile on my face.

"Yup. Tell you what, this Capitol crowd are complete germaphobes. It's shameful to watch them- if they even put down food on a table, they won't eat it."

I snort. In District 8, especially where I lived, you got what you got, and if you found food on the floor, you were lucky. Sure, we would wash if it was dirt-coated, but food was food.

I smiled at him, wondering. I was grateful for him being friendly, but what was in it for him? I was going to die- why make friends with me?  
>I stopped talking for a while, and the amusement slowly dissipated in the air, leaving a silence.<p>

"So, um, how did you do in the test?" He asked.

"Ok. I didn't do anything too impressive." I said, letting hint of disappointment seep into my voice.

"Sorry about that." He said.  
>I shrugged, not really feeling like talking to him anymore. I had really wanted to show off my skills- apparently wanted to more than I had known.<p>

Dinner was a silent affair, with a bit of talk about how Adron did- of course, we wouldn't know fully until the scores came onto the TV that evening, and so after we had eaten we sat down to watch the proceedings.

Of course, the career tributes got high scores. The short boy from one surprised me by scoring a 10- a extremely high score. I guess I had misjudged him before. The rest of the tributes varied, but overall, the lowest one of them got was 8.

The girl from 3 got a 4, but the boy gets a 7. Fuze, I think his name was. He's got a square face and build with messy blond hair and smallish brown eyes. He was young, though- 15. Younger than me.

The boy from District 5 got an 8 for his score.

"How did he get that?" I asked, astonished.

"He was good with a spear. Very good. He sucked at close-range, though." Said Adron, causally, though my question had been mainly rhetorical.

The next people- including me- had fives- which showed they noticed I had done something- but Adron scored a 9.

"Well done!" said Rayon, sounding excited. "There! That's higher than some of the Career tributes!"

Even Aziel- who was sitting on the other side of the room from us- managed a smile for him. The rest of them scored 5's- and one a 4- except a 14-year old from 10, who got a 6, and the tall, dark-skinned girl with the short hair from 11, who managed a 7.

Then, the anthem played again, and the channel switched off.


	14. I have to do what?

Jolissa.

The next morning I woke up early, and didn't want to get back to sleep. I had had a dream where I had been in the games- It wasn't the first dream I had had about the games, but the knowledge that it would become a reality within the next three days was enough to make me feel sick. I got changed, and then I sat there on my bed, the odd feeling in my stomach, and didn't move. I didn't know how long passed before there was a knock on my door, but enough for my dream to run through my head again and again. It was in a scene I had seen in a book; a rickety old ship- which hadn't made sense anyway (dreams rarely did, mind) and I had been running away from the District 4 male. I was running and running and calling out to Adron, too, but he hadn't come. Eventually I had tripped up, and the weapons and items I was suddenly carrying were smashing up my nose, and I turned around to see the boy leaning over me, smiling. He had then turned into Cross Sher, smiling, smiling, and then he had stabbed me. I had woken up then.

Rayon was standing at the door, looking a bit surprised at my prompt reaction, but told me that we were expected at breakfast. I had nothing stopping me from going soon, so I joined him in waking and telling Adron. He was a lot more groggy than me, and mainly made grunting noises in response to our request.

When we were all gathered at breakfast, Aziel coughed politely and started to speak. Her capitol accent was more pronounced than usual - as though it was made stronger when she was announcing something.

"It's your interviews tonight, and you tributes will need proper instruction. It is up to your victors to decide how to present you but I will be needed to teach you how to generally present yourself so you don't look like uneducated tramps." She said.

The idea that we were going to receive instruction from such an unenthusiastic teacher was far from appealing, especially when she had inferred that we were 'uneducated tramps.' I looked at her closely and noticed the way she was sitting- back straight, shoulders back. I suppose, when I looked at my slouch I could learn some stuff from her. I sat up straight, put my shoulders back and raised my head. My back feels a lot nicer; yet I notice a pain in my shoulder muscles I had not noticed before. I moved it around, but it didn't go, so I decided to ignore it.

We all moved to the couch room after breakfast, and Aziel started instructing us on how to sit. She's pleased to see my back is already straight, and she told me to cross my legs, and fold my hands of them like so; then I needed to tilt my head back and my chin up slightly. She tells me to keep the position and moves on to Adron, whose version of sitting up straight makes him look like he has a board in his back. Aziel told him to relax.

As the day progressed, I was not pleased to find that a lot more is expected of me than of Adron. I learned to walk in high heels, to imagine a string is pulling my head up when I walk, to shake hands and smile, smile, smile. Adron has to smile, too and I don't believe he's ever smiled so much in his life. We were taught how to project our voices, how to articulate our words properly and not to mumble; and so many more rules besides. At the end of it, I decided I needed to basically act like a smiley, friendly, talkative doll.

She left once we were 'good enough' and Rayon and Chintz come in. Chintz had a smirk on his face- I'm guessing he was remembering how awful that was- and then sat down.

"Right. So we've been working on a strategy for you too. We want to make you guys memorable, and since it's different that you guys are twins, we want to do the same thing for each of you. They approach we're going to go for is attractive. We're going to match you personality with you looks."

I sat there, waiting for him to tell me he's joking. He didn't.

"So, now we-"

"Wait, you're actually serious?" I said, a small laugh on my lips, eyebrows raised. I realized my hand was handing off my knee in an almost comical position, and I decided to leave it there.

"Do you mind?" snapped Chintz. "Didn't I tell you the other day not to interrupt me?"

I ignored this.

"But you're serious. You're going to make us….alluring?" I asked.

"We decided that, yes. I was against it because – well I had my reasons. That is a dangerous angle to play, especially if you win.  
>Besides, I wasn't sure if you could pull it off, Jolissa." Rayon informed us.<p>

I stared at him.

"What's _that _supposed to mean?" I asked, indignant.

"That you might not want to! Not that you couldn't- not that you're- it's that-"

"Just keep digging there, bro.' Said Adron, grinning.

Rayon raised his hands in surrender.

"I meant no harm." He said.

"…Yes. Right. As I was saying, now we're going to practice tactics. I think you two will make darn good actors- though Rayon disagrees. Do you think you can do this?" continued Chintz, looking both of us in the eye.

"I think so," I said. "If I just pretend no-one else is here. At all. Ever."

"Yeah, I can manage that. I mean, it's mostly confidence, right? If you don't have confidence, you won't be able to pull it off." Added Adron

"I've spoken to your stylists already, so your clothes will reflect that angle, and now I'm here to test if you can pull it off; if you can't you're just going to look stupid." Said Chintz. I thought this rather unfair.

"So, I'm going to ask you questions, and you're going to answer them. Jolissa, you eye need to be less open. You need to narrow them; there, like that. Now, get a slight smile. And when you talk I want honey dripping from your lips."

I squinted at him, feeling stupid.

"How am I going to do that?" I asked. Adron snorted at my lame attempt at 'honey'.

"Ok, you try it." I snapped at him, all charm gone.

"It's easy." He said, he voice low and soft. "You need to relax and let your words relax too. See, you need to make your words understandable…yet you don't want people to focus on them. You want them to focus on _you_." He smiled at me.

"Exactly." Said Chintz. "Now you try it Jolissa. I lower my lids again, let myself smile and purr out my words.

"I have no idea what I'm doing." I said, flicking my eyes at Rayon at the end, and smile winningly.

He stared at me.

"What?" I said, feeling uncomfortable.

"Nothing. Just, make sure you look at the camera like that." He said quickly.

"Oh, for goodness sake, Jolissa, stop snapping out of it. You're doing fine." Said Chintz. I got back into character.

"Ok, so now I'm going to ask you questions- Adron, you're going to answer first, and then Jolissa, you're going to next."

Adron nodded. I felt ridiculous, but nodded too.

"Right, so, how do you feel about the hunger games?" He asked.

Adron considered this.

"Well, I'm aiming to win." He said, putting on an easy smile. "Of course, so is everyone here. I reckon I have a few tricks up my sleeve, though."

"I'm here as a helper." I started. "Whichever happens; I live or die, I'm going to be helping _someone_."

"That was alright. But we're going to try again. Jolissa, don't say that in the interview. It gives the wrong impression" Said Chintz. I sighed in my head, but held my pose.

We were done by bedtime. I did ok, apparently. I didn't like acting 'alluring' and was completely dreading the next day. I had no idea what I was going to say for my interview, or whether I'd be able to pull off this act Chintz had thrown on me. I supposed the worst that could happen is I sit there and look uncomfortable- which won't be good. I had hope in my stylists- maybe they can make me look so fabulous that no-one will care what I'm saying, which means I'll have to focus on acting and sounding the part, even if my brain does not fit. I couldn't sleep- I was too worried about what was going to happen with the interview. I kept trying to reassure myself, but reasoning and worries kept haunting me.

_I've never tried to act alluring in my life. I've never wanted to…I'm not sure I can do it- isn't that what Adron said, it's all about confidence? How can you have confidence when you have no motivation?_

It's a simple theory- find motivation, be confidant. But I had no motivation- not really. Not enough to be so different. I didn't want to get sponsors that much, and I didn't really want guys to think about this. For a second, I wished I could speak to Lori, since she usually had advice about guys, but then I remembered she hated me.

_That's it! Do it because of Lori! She was horrible to you, but don't you think, if you do this, she'll be awfully jealous? She said she wanted to be me, and that I never took the opportunity when it came to me...well, how about that Lori. I do take what chance I get. I'll do this- to show you that I'm someone worth envying. Plus, it'll be satisfying enough to know _you're_ the one who helped me with this!_

Knowing I had motivation lifted a huge sack off my chest, and I felt so much better. I knew what I was going to say tomorrow- something that Lori would say- something that Lori would be jealous of.


	15. Nervousness and smiles

**Jolissa.**

It was nerve-racking and as I tried to remember how to sit- ankles crossed, hands on lap, smiling- I had to really remind myself why I was doing this.

_Lori. Get Lori._ I thought, trying not to let it show that I've clenched my teeth. Caesar Flickerman walked onstage, his midnight blue, light-bulbed suit flickering with lights as usual and his now-indigo hair, eyelids and lips shining in the light. It's quite marvelous, because the bit of his hair that catches the light shines purple, the majority remains undecided and the shadowy bit of his hair is definitely blue.

He welcomed everyone here, and then before I knew it, the District one girl was sitting beside him on the stage.

"So, Shimmer-"

I stopped listening there. Honestly, why do District one children always get such ridiculous names? Shimmer? I sighed, and tuned in. She went for mysterious, with her smoky gray dress matching her black hair and, undoubtedly, her black soul.

They finished with the 3-minute buzzer going off. She left the stage with a smile, and the short boy got on.

His name was Onyx- not too bad, actually for District 1 standards. He assures Flickerman that his height was definitely not a hindrance in the arena, and that if it is, he'll work extra hard to win anyway.

The girl from two was very pretty, and was obviously playing on that, but after that no-one seemed to be making an impression, though maybe it's just because I was feeling a bit dizzy. Then I realized it was my turn to go up on stage, and I was wobbling my way up there.

_Right. Lori, here I go! _I thought, and started to glide as Aziel had taught me.

I put a huge smile on my face, relaxed my eyes and sat down gently.

"Jolissa! Aren't you looking dazzling tonight! A lot healthier than you did at the reapings, anyway- but I can't blame you, what with your twin being picked and all...So unusual! You two must be close, though-what can you tell me about that moment?"

I looked at him and flicked my eyes towards one of that cameras filming me.

"Well," I said, making sure to breathe the words, not to focus on them, just like Adron had said. I had no idea what I was going to say, though. _Lori. What would she say?_

"It was certainly a surprise. I didn't know what to do! But I guess I've gotten used to that now." I said, smiling wider. "I mean, you've got to take what you get and smile, right?"

"Right" Said Caesar. "and what a lovely smile you have- I suppose we'll have to keep things coming at you so we can see it more!"

He turned to the crowd.

"Don't you want to see her smile more?" He asked them. They let out a cheer and I blushed, still keeping my smile on my face.

"Yes, we saw it at the chariot ride, too. Do you think you'll keep it in the arena, no matter what they'll give you?"

_Witty, think of something witty to say, _I thought, _come on!_

"Well, as long as I don't end up going insane." I said, and cringe inwardly. Witty? That was not witty.

"Well, the lack of good food in the Arena might contribute too that, so be careful!" Said Flickerman, waggling his finger at me. I laughed- I couldn't help it, but his expression was so serious. He laughed, too.

"So, besides the food, of course, what else do you enjoy? A beautiful young girl like you must have someone, hey?"

"Nope." I said, still in high spirits. "I'm single all the way."

"What?" Said Caesar, eyes widening in astonishment. "Come on, why is that then, eh?"

An image of Lori popped into my mind, and I got sudden inspiration.

"Well, I guess that the guys back home aren't my type really. I find the brand here a lot more sophisticated."

The crowd whooped, and I cringed inwardly again. What had gotten into me tonight? I really hoped that everyone back home knew I'm not myself and I didn't mean it, but I had a funny feeling the guys in my class thought that I was stuck-up and uptight anyway.

"Ahh, well, that's not really a surprise! Well if you win, I'm sure you'll find plenty of men ready to fall at your feet!" Said Caesar. I wanted to tell him that I didn't plan to win, that I was just going to help Adron survive as long as I could, but I knew that no-one in their right minds would sponsor me if they knew I wasn't going to try.

I replied back, and I wasn't really sure what I was saying. I felt a switch go off in me, and decided not to fight it. I'd rather run on autopilot that stress out. So, when the buzzer went off, I wasn't really sure what impression I made. I felt like those three minutes were the worst of my life; a roller coaster of ups and downs, of pretending to be someone I'm not in front of strangers, and soon my family and friends. When I sat back in my seat, I felt tired; as if I just ran for ages without stopping. I wanted to just stop smiling and go sleep on my bed.

I didn't get to sleep on my bed when we finally get back to our floor. I managed to escape long enough to wash some of the make-up off my face and throw a large jacket over the silly dress before Rayon came in and summoned me to talk and watch the show.

"How did I do?" I asked.

"You were wonderful." He said, but I was sure he was just saying that to make me feel better. Well, at least I didn't completely mess up.

We ate, and I excluded myself from the chatter going round the table, instead focusing on my fancy egg, picking it apart and eating it slowly.

Then I was in the TV room, sitting on one of the plush couches, and the TV turned on, showing the footage that had just been filmed.

I actually concentrated on the interviews this time; I noticed the nervousness of the young District 5 girl and the grim determination of her companion.

Then I was onstage, caught again by how unrecognizable I looked. I actually didn't do too bad- and managed to pull off an attractive- if a bit haughty- demeanor. I was surprised that I talked about the games for the last bit of the minute, acting brave and yet there's an air of sadness in me that isn't missed.

"Is that a bad thing? How I acted sad at the end?" I asked, worriedly.

"Maybe." Said Chintz. "Either it'll be seen as pathetic and no-one will sponsor you, or it'll be seen and heartbreakingly sad and cute and people will want to help you by sponsoring you. You better hope for the last.  
>Then Adron walks on the stage, and It's clear he's confidant. He starts by making easy talk and joking with Caesar, and then moves on to his confidence and need to win in the games- he mentions swords, and how he was going to volunteer next year. He leaves out his training, because everyone knows it's illegal, but still, he captures the audience's hearts, and leaves to huge cheers and he does his victory hand motion as he walks of stage.<p>

"Well he did good!" I said, smiling for real for the first time this evening. Adron grinned at me.

"What did you expect?' He asked.

"You arrogant sod! I take that back." I threw at him, but I kept the smile on my face to let him know I was joking.

After the show was finished, I felt rather empty and wondered why. As I figured it out, my emotions turn once again downhill.

There was nothing left now. No training, no interviews, no chariot rides or planning. Tomorrow I was going in the games, where we will fight for our life and slowly die off, one by one as the crowd that was cheering me today carries on cheering me as I die. I couldn't shake it off as we went through our bloodbath technique that this was the last time before we'd do it for real. As I lay down to bed, I slept on the fact that I may never dream again.


	16. Stage fright? Pfft, no---

Adron.

I admit, I was acting a lot more confident than I felt. Actually, I didn't feel confidant at all and as I sat in the shower in the early hours of the morning of the 45th Hunger games, I was actually feeling a bit sick. Memories were playing back in my head, of all the deaths I had seen in the games, and then mainly the ones in the bloodbath. At no other point in the game (usually) were all the contestants at so close quarters, with so many weapons and so much desperation. If we survived it, I was sure we would get a fighting chance in the arena.

I wasn't sure, however, what I was going to do with Jolissa.

I didn't want to be the one to kill her, yet I knew she would have to die if I was to win. I shook my head, trying to clear it. She had agreed to help me win, after all. She didn't even want to survive.

I pulled myself out of the shower, and got dressed. I knew I would be given a suit adapted for the arena later on, so I didn't bother putting on something nice. I ruffled my new, shorter black hair in the mirror. It only reached just past my ears and gave me a softer look that I didn't like. I looked more pretty-boy than tough. Who knows? Maybe it would come in deceptively handy.

I met the others for breakfast. No-one was talking, and it was no wonder. It was going to be the last time we saw Aziel, Chintz and Rayon before the games began. My stylist, Phoebe, would be going with me. She was a ditzy, giggly little thing, rather annoying but friendly enough. I made sure to gulp down as much food as I could; I knew I defiantly wasn't going to get the chance to eat this much in the arena.

Jolissa went out the door and up to roof first. We each got our own hovercraft to take up to our destination. I really hoped it's somewhere where I could survive- with cover and light and shelter. The caves must have been a nightmare for poor Rayon. Hard, cold rock and barely any light. A flash lights up my mind; a long-forgotten memory of a Tv screen with blue, cold light streaming into a tunnel of caves; people running towards the pile of items. A golden glint of some weapon. I couldn't remember anything else, but I wondered if I did watch Rayon's games after all, just when I was too young to comprehend what was going on. I walked into the elevator, and looked back at my mentors and my escort.

"Goodbye." I said, a smile forced onto my face.

"Good luck." Wished Rayon.

"You'll get it, boy." Grunted Chintz.

Aziel waved silently, but she does look rather sad.

"Rayon, do you like Jolissa?" I asked suddenly. I needed something to think about other than these stupid games. He looked at me, and then at the floor, his face breaking. It looked like every other bone in his face had cracked, and I took a step back instinctively.

The doors closed before I could get an official answer and soon I was standing on the roof, starting to climb a ladder that froze me in place. I hated the feeling as soon as it started; me, hanging there useless as I was dragged up into the belly of the craft. I wanted to rip my hand off and break the stupid things but I could only manage to glare at it. When I was up there, a plump man came and put a needle in my arm, injecting a small, hard thing into my skin.

"It's a tracking device, so we don't lose you." He told me. I had never felt so helpless in my life, frozen to this damned ladder and having someone putting this device in me. I didn't even have a say in it; it was like I was a toy in their hands. I was, though. That was the point.

I managed to keep my temper down when I was released, for the sole purpose that I needed my wits about me if our plan for the Cornucopia was going to work. I itched the small, hard spot where the device was.  
>It hurt, but I persisted. It took a few hours to get to wherever we were going. I forgot to check the time we left, so all I knew is that the games started at 10 O'clock and we were going to be there by that time. We arrived, and I was lowered into the launch point- a place deep underground the arena that is where the tributes start off.<p>

My pre-launch room was small, clan and simple. Phoebe came down with me, and was chattering excitedly about how well I'm going to do, and how handsome I look. She was wearing a bright yellow suit that made her look like a little sun- it even had wavy tasseled hanging off the sides, and a spiky hat on her head. I ate a bit more, wandered around for a bit. I let Phoebe style my hair; I knew it would just get messed up as soon as I started running, but she was so excited when she asked I couldn't say no. My suit arrived and I inspected it cautiously.

The boots were slim, tight and had a lot of grip. They were made out of a sleek, extremely waterproof material, and were a muddy brown. The pants were a lighter shade of brown; they were waterproof as well but not so much. They were thick and when I put the boots on over them, they bunched up near the tip. They had plenty of pockets around them which would be useful for carrying small stuff. The shirt was a green tank top, made with thin, but warm material, and there was a big waterproof green and brown cameo print jacket with a hood, and pockets on the inside and outside. There was a belt, too- a black thing with pockets around it and straps for carrying various items.

"They're waterproof, but not for swimming- and the colors are for muddy ground. You're probably going to be in some kind of wet, icky, muddy ground which you'll have to wade around in. Oh, look! The boots can roll up right to your thighs- the water might be quite deep in places. Maybe you'll be in a big river?" Chattered Phoebe.

I sincerely hoped we were not going to be in a big river, but I doubted we would be. A constant water and food supply wouldn't do much for killing the contestants off quickly.

I pulled on the green tank top and zipped up the waterproof jacket. It had a strange suction cup-thing at the waist that made a tight line around the belt I was given- a water-tight seal. I walked over to the pod that would carry me up to my starting point, and stood in it. It was still a few minutes till I had to be in it, but I didn't really want to mill around anywhere.  
>Then the pod was closing around me, and my stomach was being left behind as I was lifted up, up through the ground and into the arena.<br>I reached the top and looked around.

We were in a swamp- a huge, muddy, wet swamp with massive trees with huge trunks. The light reaching the clearing and lighting up the Cornucopia was tinted with green as it made its way through the canopy of green leaves. It was really breathtaking, feeling so small in the midst of these huge, quiet trees. The a voice boomed through the place.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the 45th annual hunger games! Now let the games….begin!"


	17. The games begin

Jolissa.

I was struggling not to throw up. No-one was moving. I wondered briefly why and almost took a step forward when I remembered the mines dotted all around our feet, ready to blow us up if we stepped off our panels before the timer went off. This immediately made me feel dizzy and unsure of my feet. I stood as still as I could. I looked around, trying to locate Adron, but seeing the grim faces of the other contestants around me terrified me.

I could feel my heart beating frantically in my chest; a bird trying to fly away from my doomed body and live happily away from this turmoil. My breathing was short and shallow, catching in my throat -almost whimpering and I hoped that the cameras were not on me at the moment.

The seconds were counting down my life. I knew it. The people all around me were going to try and kill me. I was almost hyperventilating, almost useless. This was nothing like the nights I spent practicing tactics. The routine of getting ready to run appeared in my head, and I clung onto it desperately. Find Adron, that was the first thing to do. I steeled myself, controlling my breathing and find him. It's not too hard; he was the tallest there. He was about 5 people to my right. He caught my eye and nodded once slowly. I nodded back, trying to replicate him, but my head didn't work and I ended up nodding quickly and frantically.

I need to not panic, I thought. I needed to stay sane if I want to help Adron live.

I remembered one of the games I had watched- the first five minutes of one anyway- where one girl had lost her head. She had cracked; she was running to the cornucopia when she tripped. She had started screaming- screaming and screaming, curling up into a ball and losing herself. She had been quickly killed, helpless as she was with her madness. I had not understood before. Now, though, I could feel it. The pressure- the pressure that you dare not look at, because if you do you will go mad. I was suppressing it, fighting not to think of my impossible odds, of the people all around you who will kill you if they can. You're in a nest full of creatures that are trying to do you in- right in their midst, right at the center, and there is just a thin shred of chance that you will not die.

I almost started screaming then- just to let it all out. I know I couldn't because I would let it out and out until I was killed, and then I would mess up Adron's plans. He would not be able to get a weapon, or supplies, or be able to forage for food.

The gong sounded, and I jumped. I was so tense, I could barely move, and I was just standing there, trying to remember something I'd forgotten, something important….

"JOLISSA! MOVE!" Adron yelled, and I was brought back to earth. Right. The games. The strategy. I stumbled towards him, wading through the mud that reached to my ankles.

"Let's go!" He said, urgently and I ran. I don't believe I've ever ran so fast in my life, ever tried so hard. My mind was on reaction, and I was intensely glad that Chintz and Rayon had made us go through the practice so many times. I flew over item after item until they become hard to dodge through quickly, then I stooped and started picking up as many items as I could. The mud there was dry, and the items were clean, so I started packing them into my arms. I looked at my jacket- zipped up and with a tight seal around it and immediately change my tact- the smaller and thinner items I saw I plunged into my jacket, using it as a bag. I hear a yell and a thump behind me, but sense Adron's presence return to hover behind me a second later, and ignore it. The bigger and fatter items started coming; if they had a strap, I slung them over my arm, if not I carried them. Pretty soon my arms were completely full- I knew if I pick up something else I could drop everything or trip over while running. I had not been really paying attention to the items I picked up, but a small silver box caught my eye.  
>It was right near the center of the pile; so it must have been valuable, and I only realized I may not have been able to hold it when it was already in my hand.<p>

I turned, and beckoned to Adron that I was done, but freeze halfway through. The male tribute from District 4- Tiden- was sneaking up behind Adron, a triumphant snarl on his face. I felt my face stretch as I started to scream, but Adron was faster. He grabbed me and shoved me towards the forest.

"Go!" He yelled and I stumbled forwards, trying to regain my balance and keep my momentum as I sloshed through the water. I kept my eyes on the trees and ran as fast as I could to the nearest exit from the clearing. I felt like a sitting duck, completely exposed to any weapon aimed my way. I found myself make the pathetic half-whimpering, half-breathing noises I was making earlier and finally, miraculously, I was through. I was safer- for now, and kept running with all my baggage through the trees.

* * *

><p>Adron.<p>

* * *

><p>I looked back after Jolissa, making sure her path was clear. My neck muscles were tense form all the looking around I was doing, and my whole body was tense from the fight when I had taken down the District 12 idiot who had tried to jump me. Hadn't he seen I was on full alert?<p>

The boy in front of me- Tiden- was different. He was expecting to win- to take me down. He had actually hunted for me- just like he had promised in our training session. A fighter in the arena shouldn't make things personal- especially so early in the game, and as I stared into his eyes I knew- I _knew-_ that this guy was conceited and overconfident. I could see it in his smug little face, and I was glad that he had not seemed to notice the small, strange weapon that I had picked up on my way to Jolissa. All he could see my wimpy excuse for a mace- seriously, it looked like if I used it once it would splinter and break. He was armed with a fierce, if crooked knife. It was shiny, so I assumed it had been made that way on purpose.  
>He swung up at me; it was a easy hit to deflect if you were prepared for it- which I was. Tiden pulled back, a snarl on his face. I grinned at him, trying not to show how much part of me was recoiling from this fight. I did not want him to know that knowing his name was a weakness to me, but it was- it was so much harder to aim to kill him than it had been that unnamed, unknown boy. Tiden still had his ugly expression on his face; He apparently was not used to being blocked.<br>He pulled back, countering my mace-hand; he left my other hand completely open to attack. I jumped at the opportunity and using all my strength I swung my left hand round, bringing the strange weapon within and buried it deep within his side-chest. He tried to dodge- I saw it- but he had not been prepared for the blow, and pain shot across his gaze as blood squeezed out of the wound in his side and trickled down my hand.  
>I pulled back and he doubled over. The mace- already half-broken- fell from my grasp as I lunged for his knife and plucked it from his hand. I lunged again, bringing the whole power of my body into my arms as I plunged the crooked dagger into the back of the arrogant tribute's head.<br>I made a face as I felt his body crumple, life sucked out by the wound I just inflicted, but I knew I didn't have time for remorse. I couldn't have time to feel- I made that choice when I first made my kill, and going back on it would be foolish and idiotic.

I looked around, power still pumping through my veins as I prepared for more fight- but there was no-one attacking. The guy I just defeated was at my feet- the others were all busy. I turned and ran in the direction Jolissa went before I got noticed.

I was running at a fast pace through the forest. I know if I kept this pace- and if Jolissa hadn't decided to veer of a straight path- I would catch up to her before long. She was not very fit, or fast and she was carrying a whole junkload of stuff. I splashed through a clearing with reeds dotted throughout the water when I saw her. She was making a rather pathetic attempt at keeping up a steady pace- panting and doubled over. She was not really making that much progress. She seemed so distracted that she didn't notice my sloshing up beside her, and when I grabbed her shoulder, she swirled round and whacked me in the face with a backpack.

"Oh! Adron! It's you! I thought you had- I mean that was a District 4 career- and, and then I ran, and left you-" She was blabbering away, almost hysterical.

"Shush. Calm down Jolissa. Relax. I'm fine. Besides, if all the other Career tributes are as arrogant and self-confidant as that one, they won't be a challenge." I told her. She stopped talking, but still held onto my arm painfully hard.

"Seriously. He practically tripped over his own head into his dagger. I just had to move it there." I assured her. She lets out a nervous giggle, her eyes wide. I half-dragged her to the side of the water clearing- underneath some thick tree roots, just in case someone was following us, and then we heard the cannon go off. Huh. The fighting at the Cornucopia was quick this year. I listened carefully to the amount. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine times. That meant there were... a lot more left than usual.

"How many left?" I asked Jolissa. Counting and doing math seem to get a more normal look back in her eye. She mouthed a few words, and then-

"15 left." She told me. I swore. Usually at least half the contestants die at the bloodbath, but now with 15 of us still in the arena, it just meant that there were more of them to kill.

"Give me some of those packs to carry." I tell Jolissa. We had to get moving. She started handing them over silently.


	18. Ropes and Traps

Jolissa.

We walked for a while. I was calm now, and certainly saner than I had been at the Cornucopia. I was beginning to take in my surroundings. We were in an old-growth forest with a temperate climate and a swampy biome. I was extremely glad for the long boots, because I knew that leeches lived in swamps. I hated leeches- the idea of them anyway. I had never met a leech and wanted to keep it that way. We were not running anymore but had slowed to a fast walk, smooth enough to not make too much noise as we disturbed the water in front of us. The water was undrinkable; that much was clear as it was thick with bits of trees, mud and small swimming creatures that I had checked were_ not_ leeches. You had to be careful while wading through the water- the trees made it darker than usual, and the roots of the trees were unnoticeable by sight through the water. I had tripped a few times now, though had not fallen it yet. My hair and my body were flecked with drying bits of mud- that actually matched the material. I was still amazed at the size of some of the trees- sometimes just the roots were thicker than Adron and me combined, and the trunks didn't start properly until past my height. The vines and roots combined with the moss to create groves of green underneath the arching roots of the trees, and a stable climbing frame that we could have used to get up to the higher and smaller branches.

We hadn't talked much since the cannons went off. I had taken five packs altogether; two daggers (one much nicer that the other), a sheath of arrows- but no bow- a curved long sword that Adron was very pleased with and a blow-stick with darts. We also had a large, knobby club-like bat that looked like it could split open a skull, and a fairly long spear that I was now carrying- though just for convenience. Adron had claimed that one. One of the daggers was in my belt and the sword was in Adron's but the rest of the weapons- and the unlisted supplies we had not gone through yet- were stuffed into the backpacks. Adron was carrying three backpacks, and I was carrying two. I had a very heavy one and a very light one, so the only annoying thing was that the unbalanced weight was pulling uncomfortably on my back. I was just thinking how weird it was that we survived the start of the hunger games when Adron spoke.

"Those vines. What are the little red hairs on them?" He asked, pointing. I had not noticed before, but as I looked, I saw the majority of the vines had a thin coating of red hairs on them.

"I don't know. I've never seen them before in the books." I say, hesitantly. "But…..usually if plants are brightly colored or have hairs they're poisonous. Like the stinging nettle- it's hairs are actually spines filled with an irritating poison." I walk over to a vine and peer at it. The hairs do look rather sharp.

"Usually nettle stings only cause painful, itchy- if harmless rashes, but this is the hunger games, so…." I trail off.

It was not unheard of at all for the Capitol to genetically alter plants, and if these vines had been altered- which I was pretty sure they had been- then there was not telling what letting their poison in could do. I shuddered.

"Let's just keep moving, shall we?" Grunted Adron.

I started walking again.

"Why did you want to know?" I asked.

"Just though they were odd. What about those frogs? They have strange patterns. Are they dangerous?" He pointed to a small brown dark-and-light patterned frog that was swimming away into shelter to avoid us.

I shook my head.

"No, they're pickerel frogs, I think. They're not poisonous to humans."

"Anything else here unusual?" He asks. I look around, checking, but the wildlife that is around us seems to be normal besides the vines.

"Well, that patch of water is lighter than this patch." I say, smiling and pointing out a lighter patch of water in front of us. The change was probably due to different mud underneath.

Adron rolls his eyes.

"Nothing, then?" He asks, and I shake my head.

I walk a bit closer to the poisonous vines as we enter into the paler mud –continuing forward, but wanting to examine them more. I was right, the mud here was thicker, and harder to walk in. I can feel my feet sinking deep into the mud, and it's really hard to pull them out. I glance down and realize we're in trouble.

"Adron. Don't move." I say, as calmly as I can. I was sinking. This mud was too soft and too deep for us to walk on and I could see my feet getting lower and lower in the water.

"Jolissa!" Says Adron, panicked. I look up at him, breaking my starting session at the mud and see him. He's already up to his knees and sinking fast.

"Jolissa, it's not stopping! I'm going to go under!' He said. I started. My feet had touched something and had stopped sinking. I was safe, and Adron was sinking slowly into this deep mud. His thighs were covered now.

"JOLISSA!" He yells at me, and I snap out of my trance. I turn to see the only available thing in my reach that could reach him is the vine.

But I could just leave him, I thought. One less person to deal with.

I push the thought away angrily. _I agreed to help him live. I wouldn't survive anyway_!

I reach out and grab the vine. A second passes when the small, thin spines press into my skin and then the poison sack in the hair break and my hand shrivels up. Not actually. That's what it feels like. My hand is handing there, stinging and itching and burning. I suppress a cry of pain, grit my teeth and wrap my sleeve around my other hand. The inflicted hand feels like it's bleeding everywhere, and pain is jolting through my veins every time my pulse crosses through. I grip the vine with my sleeved hand, and thankfully, the material is thick enough to stop most of the spines reaching my hand.

My eyes are starting to water in the pain, my whole face is scrunched up and I want to scratch my hand until it falls off, but I grit my teeth and pull as much of the vine down as I can. I turn, and throw it to Adron.

It lands about five feet from him. He's almost at his waist.

"Adron." I tell him as loud as I can through gritted teeth.

"Put your hands into your sleeves." I continue, and start pulling the vine back.

"What?" He says. I snarl at him. I can't repeat myself, I can barely talk.

"Poisonous vine. Don't touch." I manage again, and the pressure in my voice starts to make my head throb. I hold the vine again, and throw it at him. It hits his face, scraping down the side. His eyes pop and his jaw clenches. I can already see nasty angry red blotches appearing on his face, forming swelled lumps. Crap, I'm sorry, I think, but I can't say it. Breathing heavily, his grips the vine as much as he can with his sleeved hands and tries to pull himself out. He can't get a grip; his sleeves are too slippery. He grunts and keeps trying, but his hands just slide down the green rope. He's sweating with the exertion, trying to grip, but we both know what he has to do now. He bellows, forgetting all caution and rips his hands out of his sleeves, grabbing the vine. I flinch away as I see his face; the pain mixed with the angry red swellings is unmistakable, and as I move my own crippled hand into my jacket, feeling it almost buzz with pain, I can't imagine having to use it to pull myself out of quicksand-like mud. The vine is holding, though, and Adron is definitely strong enough As soon as he's close enough, I reach out and grab him, and help him haul himself onto the safe area.

He just lies there, panting for a minute, trying to recover from this ordeal. This was nasty. He had lost one of the packs- I think the one we stored one of the daggers and the blow-darts in. It was just sinking out of sight now, its last tassel slipping into the shallow water as if it had never been there.

I examine his hands and face. They're hopeless. If the sting were from nettles, I could have found dock leaves to put on the stings, and the basic formula of the veins would have neutralized the acidic poison in the nettles, but I don't know if the Gamemakers would put a natural cure for these vines in the games- or whether the poison is Acidic. It feels like it- my nerve centers are being frazzled.

"Do you think they'd put a cure for the leaves here?" I ask Adron.

He shakes his head, his eyes closed. I think. There was a kind of plant- a swamp dock leaf- that grows in some swamps, but would I find it here? And would it help?

"We better get moving." Mutters Adron. "I made all that noise back there."

I nod at him. He stands up painfully, his hands stuck in a crippled, painful position and his face looking scary with the swelling.

I wonder suddenly if the poison is deadly. I have been thinking of nettles, and they don't kill, but what about this? I look at my hand doubtfully. It doesn't seem to be spreading. I suppose only time will tell. I stand up and we make our way cautiously and slowly around the lighter mudded area. We eventually reached a part of the ground where the mud darkened again. I peered closely at the dividing line. It was almost perfectly straight.

"Adron, look at this! This is obviously set up by the Gamemakers!" I tell him. He grunts, not interested, but I keep a close eye on the ground, looking for changes in the color of the mud.

Adron is making his way forward, and I'm still looking at the ground, when he stops, staring forward. I bump into him, and turn in his direction, and just stand and stare.

Before us is a huge metal wall- about 40 feet high. It is plated and curves up slightly, as if it's the edge of a giant bowl. It's sleek and shiny and obviously impossible to climb.

We've reached the edge of the arena.


	19. Try and Rest

Jolissa.

I stare at the strange wall, trying to decide if I've seen anything like it before.

"Adron, is this usually how the arena barriers are set?" I ask.

"No." He says, staring hard at the wall.

"The arena is much bigger than this usually….If this is this far away for the Cornucopia all round, we've got a quite small arena. We've been walking what- one and a half hours?" He says.

"Yeah, about that. It takes us about forty-five for us to walk to the factory and that's only, like 1000 feet? So we got like, 2000 feet here?" I say, trying to figure it out.

"Yeah. Something like that." Says Adron.

"So, what do we do now?" I ask.

Adron looks at the wall again, and swings his head around the line of trees leading up to it.

"We go up there-" He says, pointing to a tree a couple down that had a knot or branches big enough for us to go on without being seen from the ground.

"-and we sort out all our stuff. We see if we have water and I guess set up camp. We can't go any further, and we can't go back, and I guess we can stay here. If we climb, we'll definitely have an advantage over anyone who wanders in here."

"Okay." I say and we head towards the tree.

Climbing up to the alcove we were aiming at proved to be a problem. Most of the ways up were via the nasty, stinging plants that we had touched earlier, and we didn't want to go near again, and the other bit required us climbing up various roots tangled together. This proved a challenge because, as we found, it was extremely painful to climb when you are using your hands as hooks after they've been stung by the nettle-vines.

We managed it eventually- I found it easier because only one of my hands had been affected, and then not as bad as Adron's. Once I was up, he threw up the bags and weapons, which I managed to catch dubiously. Without burden, it was easier for him- but no less painful- to claw his way up to where I was sitting. The roots formed a sheltered platform where would could rest and lay our stuff. We then- well, I then- emptied the bags and examined the contents. The four packs contained four sets of survival stuff, each varying in quality and quantity. We sorted them into packs we would keep and not keep. We considered a one-man tent, but decided it was too heavy and unnecessary to carry and laid it aside. There was also four sleeping bags- pretty much identical save for the fact one of them had a built-in pillow. We laid two of the un-pillowed ones aside and kept sorting. There was one set of flint, two sets of matches and one lighter; wire and springs for traps; food that included dried meat, dried wheat products, dried fruit and vegetables, beans, and a small container of some sweet-tasting treat; two lengths of rope, both strong; a first aid kit, and some other medical supplies; and some kind of container labeled 'adhesive'. I had picked up some plastic-wrapped food aside from the backpacks, and discovered a 2-litre container filled with water. The only thing of which we had no idea happened to be the small silver box I had picked up last. It opened to reveal a black, gritty substance that had a very faint smell we couldn't identify, and some packages that where empty, and a couple of short lengths of rope. The powder looked kind of like crushed rocks and tasted disgusting.

"Well, it has to be valuable, because it was right at the center of the pile." I said doubtfully, looking at the smug particles of whatever it was.

"Huh. Well, we'll keep it, but I don't know if we're going to use it." Says Adron.

I shrug, and start re-pecking the backpacks, dispersing the items so if we lost one, like we had before, we would still have some gear left.

Since we had lost the blow-darts and the arrows in the other backpack, the only weapons we had left were the curved sword, the dagger in my belt, the spear and the large club. Adron tucked the sword beneath his belt and picked up the club. It weighed heavily in his hands. He could not grip it properly because of the plant-venom, which reminds me there might be something for that in the small first-aid kit we had.

I open in, and re-examine the contents- small painkillers, disinfectants, a needle and thread (if I had to use that I think I might puke) elastic and normal bandages, cotton, tape, some insect-bite treatments, tweezers, bandage scissors, Neosporin (for testing food poison), medical gloves, and a strange, yellow, strong-smelling liquid that claimed it was good for rashes. I got some disinfecting swipes, first, and tried them on my bad hand, but they didn't even hurt. I then tried the yellow stuff, but that only helped a little. I sigh and look around- examining the roots and barks around us. There are small shrub plants that are growing in the moss on the think roots that we're sitting on, but none are medicinal. I look around, and see, on the next tree, a swamp-Dock plant. I freeze. I really, really want to go over and get it, but I don't even know if it'll help, and that would mean climbing down and then climbing up, and the repeating the process to get back. I look at Adron- who is scraping the drying mud off his trousers and boots with a bit of loose bark and decide to try it. I need something to do anyway. I told Adron that I'm going to collect a medicinal plant- I don't tell him I'm not sure it'll work- and he nods. I scramble down the bark and then cross carefully over to my destination tree and start climbing up. It's awfully hard to climb not to mention it was very slippery, but eventually I managed it and faced the swamp-dock leaves. I reached out and plucked a leaf, crushing it and pressing the veins against my sore hand. I am disappointed to find that nothing is happening, but then, suddenly relief spread through the pain centers of my hand. I sighed as the buzzing pain went away, and tried to flex my hand. It still had the swelled lumps where the spines went in, and thought the pain had stopped when I moved, my hand is still stiff and barely movable. I'm not too let down, though- stopping the pain is more than I could have hoped for in the leaves, and I plucked the bunch, stowed them in my pocket and made my way back to Adron.

He was extremely pleased for the relief of the pain, and the ability to grasp things without hurting his hands again.

"Great! I can swing this club now, though I'll have to wait for my hand to be back in use before I can manage the sword." He told me. I can't help smiling- he actually looks excited about the use of the strange weapon.

"Sorry about you face." I told him, indicating at the rash where I threw the nettle-vine and hit him.

"Nah, it's ok. I mean, at least you threw it, right? I thought for a second there you were actually going to leave me to die. I guess you were just in shock, huh?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I froze up a lot today. I guess it's all just a little much for me." I told him.

He laughed.

"Yeah. This is the hunger games." He informed me.

"Really?" I asked in fake astonishment. I let this lighter mood hide my true feelings. I had considered leaving him behind- though not when I froze up- when I was going to throw him the vine. I knew I wouldn't actually abandon him, though. If we met trouble, I had no chance of winning a fight, and I knew I was planning not to win anyway.


	20. Ankle deep in mutts

Adron.

I decided we should spend the rest of the day there, and then set out tomorrow to search for a water source. We had our water bottle, so the need was not urgent, but it would be good to find a place where we could stock up. Besides, my hands needed to heal a bit more before we engaged in combat; the bat would only help me so far if I couldn't hold it properly. I was really glad the pain was gone though. It was a killer. We spent the rest of the day in an on-and off silence, talking occasionally, but not really discussing much of importance, and it was late-afternoon when the girl came wondering up to the wall. Jolissa and I both crouched down low when she appeared, but she seemed kind of out of it, walking around distantly and suddenly stopping for no reason. She had a small axe in her hand. I couldn't remember what district she was from, but she had black hair, olive skin and grey eyes. I knew that people who looked like her they came from one of the poorer districts but I couldn't figure out which one.

"That's Islara. She's from District 12." Whispers Jolissa beside me.

Great. I really hope I don't have to fight her, because names really mess up my ability to kill. The District 12 guy was definitely easier than Tiden. Tiden haunted me, and the other guy didn't as much.

She walked right up to the metal wall, and trace her finger in a circle on one part of it. Then she turned and stood there for a while, and then wandered back into the trees.

I decided not going to go after her. She wasn't attacking us, and my hands were a disablement to me. Once she's well gone, I turned to Jolissa.

"Please don't tell me any more names." I told her, letting an edge of annoyance creep into my voice.

"Why not?" She asked, looking a bit put out.

"Because I said so." I snapped. She huffed, and started off.

"Look, you're not in charge here-"

"Here?" I Interrupted. "Yes, Jolissa Kennedy, I am."

She hated it when I used her middle name. "We're not at home, which means one of us has to be in charge, and that's me. Unless you want to lead us in here?"

"I'm just saying I'd appreciate it if you explained to me why you're telling my not to do stuff. And don't abuse you power." She said back, all riled up now.

"Whatever. Just don't do it." I snapped, and move over to the other side of the branch. I know I started this argument, but now I knew she was going to go on one of her long, boring rants explaining everything to me. I usually got frustrated and had to leave before she's done.

To my surprise, however, she just sniffed and turned back to the supplies.

We didn't talk for the rest of the evening. She left me to my thoughts, which were not good. I kept remembering Tiden's body crumple in my hands, and his blood seep over my fist. I had washed it off now, but my hand still felt itchy, and I wanted to wash it again and again, to try and get this blood of my hands. I knew I couldn't; the guy was dead, along with the District 12 guy, and there was nothing I could do to change that. I had to set my teeth and live with it. I kept telling myself that, but I couldn't believe it, and I needed something to do. It was just getting dark when something happened.

The moon was in the sky, so it wasn't completely dark, and the last rays of sunlight were just setting in the east- which told me we headed south-east this morning to get here- when a clanging noise got my attention. It was coming from the metal wall, and as I watched, holes opened up all along it- just a few inches above the surface of the water. They deeply contrasted with the rest of the silver wall bleached in the moonlight. They just stayed there; open for a few seconds and then a steady stream of black started pouring out of the holes.

At first I thought it was some kind of black liquid, but as I look longer, I realized it's dozens of fish, all about the length of my foot, long and thin. They were squirming and writhing, flopping into the water and spreading out into it; making it seem like a sea of black was slowly making its way towards us. The fish were jumping and flopping in the water, stirring it up like a kind of frenzy.

Jolissa stood and picked up the spear and climbed down a long, flat root that goes to about to about 4 feet from the water. It was fairly easy to climb up and down on; we couldn't make our way up on it because the mud was too soft and deep in that area (not like the sticky quicksand stuff, but still dangerous) She slid down, using the spear as a walking stick and peered at the water. She squinted and peered closer, though she was careful to cling onto a strong plant that's holding onto the root. I grab my club and walk over to the edge, cautious.

"You know what they are?" I asked.

"No. I can't tell-there's too many of them, they move too fast and they're too black." She said shortly. I remember we're supposed to be mad at one another.

She stood up.

"I'm going to try and spear one." She told me, and jabbed her spear into the water before I could tell her that's a very bad idea.

I lunged forward, knowing that with the amount of force she put into her thrust her spear won't stop until it hits something solid. There was nothing solid in that area for meters. She was tipping over, caught by her thrust, and was tumbling into the water below, her feet clinging to the root she was standing on; her hand clutching the spear tightly. I was not going to make it in time- but then, thankfully, the spear hit something solid a few feet beneath the water- perhaps a root, perhaps just the buildup of the mass of bodies, and Jolissa was left hanging there, clinging onto the spear , her balance completely over the water. She tried to draw back, but her hands only slip a couple of inches down the shaft, and she was closer to falling into the water. The creatures below were in a frenzy, writhing and jumping up, and still more were coming,spreading out past us into the Arena. I heard a scream; a terrible, distant scream coming from the east and a few seconds later a cannon sounds. Right. I needed to get Jolissa out _now_. I slid down to her, unsure of how I was going to do this. There was nowhere really for me to grip that would hold both my weight and hers. I examined the club in my hands.

"Jolissa, if I hit you with enough force with that dislodge you and bring you back up?" I asked.

"Adron. I don't want to speak right now. I'm –whatever, yes it will work." She snapped at me, her voice filled with fear.

"This might hurt a bit." I informed her, and positioned myself at her side. I put both hands on the club, and swung it at a 45 degree angle. It caught on her left hip, which was what I was hoping for. The noise her hip and her lips made weren't quite what I would have liked, but she shot back and up. I lunged forward and caught her before she slid off the other side.

She was curled over, groaning and clutching her hip. I swiveled round; the spear was now falling against the tree; slowly sliding down the slippery root. I reached out and caught it before it gets lost in the water. There was about five of the slippery creatures on the end, but I couldn't identify them. They were definitely not fish- that much I could make out, but I guess Jolissa would have to tell me the rest.

"Are you ok?" I asked, turning back to her.

"I think you broke my hip." She complained loudly.

"And saved your life. C'mon, give me a bit of slack here."

"Are you sure there was no other way?" She muttered.

"Not that I could think of in that time. C'mon, let's head back up."

She nodded, and I helped her stand. She could still use her left leg, and her hip didn't look that bad. Maybe I just bruised it or something. She sat down and exposed her hip. There's a nasty bruise beginning to form, but as she poked it gingerly, she relaxed.

"It's not broken. It's just badly bruised." She said and turned back to me.

"So, did you get the spear?" She said, her attention captured by the new information.

"Yes." I told her rolling my eyes, and handing it over. She's an odd child- once she knows there's new information to be had, she just goes for it, no matter what.

She grabbed, it, and pulls one of the creatures up to her face. She stared at it for a few seconds, her eyes getting wider. Then she drops it and turned to the side, a disgusted expression on her face.

"So, what are they?" I asked.

"Hang on. I need to- ugh, I really hate these things." She said. She shaked her head, as if trying to expel them from her mind.

"What are they?" I asked again.

Just then however, the anthem starts trumpeting through the arena, and we turned our heads towards the sky. Despite the leafy canopy, there is enough space for us to see the faces of the tributes that have died today. They go through in order of District, and the first face that pops up is the girl from 3. It then moves onto Tiden, from four. Next was the girl from 5; the boy from 6; both the girl and the boy from 7; the boy from 9; the boy from 11- and then Islara's face pops up on the screen, followed by her companion from her District- who had been my other kill in the bloodbath.

Islara must have been the one who had screamed when the black creatures swarmed into the forest. I glanced down at the teeming creatures in the water; they were still pouring out of the sides and into the water.

They must be filling up the whole Arena with those things, I thought. The anthem stops playing, and it's all quiet again.

"So, what are they?" I repeated.

"Leech- mutts." Said Jolissa, pulling a grossed-out face.

"…and what are leeches?" I asked. I had never heard of them before.

"Right. We don't get them in District 8. It's too dry. They usually live in still-water, and only grow up to 2 inches long. The have little suckers for mouths." She picked up a leech with two fingers and showed me a gaping hole that's really slimy. It had rows of tiny teeth lining the edges, and as I looked, I make out two little eyes glittering at me.

"And they usually latch onto an animal and suck its blood."

"Wait, this happens in the wild?" I asked.

She nods.

"Yup. These ones though, are obviously much bigger than normal Leeches, and they have teeth that look like they're for biting. My guess it they'd eat you alive if you go in the water."

I looked back at the water at my feet, a new distaste for these vile creatures growing in my throat. I really hoped they went away soon, otherwise we'd have to make our way up the trees and across then to find water.

"Do you think they're edible?" I asked, looking doubtfully at the small, slimy little bodies stuck on the spear.

"No." Said Jolissa. "Well, maybe, but I'd rather not risk it."

She started pulling them off the end of the spear and tossing the back into the water.

I crawled into my sleeping bag, and Jolissa did the same with her own.

"I'll keep watch first." I told her. She nodded, and yawned.

"Do you think people will be able to reach us in this?" She asked.

"No, but we don't want to sleep through them going away." I told her. She nodded again, and turned to her right side, snuggling into the mossiest area and closing her eyes.

I stared out into the night, my eyes fixed on the holes in the wall. They eventually stopped pouring out the leech-mutts, but I didn't keep my eyes off them the entire time it was my watch. A body keeps crumpling in my grasp again and again.


	21. Water and sharks

Jolissa

I switched watch twice in the night, and my body was not up to being up half the night. I closed my lips and didn't complain- what good would that do?- but I was still feeling the effects as I roused Adron to move. The leech-mutts had disappeared at about dawn- all of them going back to the holes that they came from at once, as though they were on some kind of radio wave. They had all swarmed the holes, and jumped and wriggled through them. It was really disgusting to watch. Of all things, why did they have to mutate something that was bad enough as it was?

Adron woke up smoothly enough, and we quietly packed our backpacks. I turned my attention away from the holes- making sure the leeches were not going to come back- and looked into the forest. What I saw took my breath away. There was a silvery mist that was rising from the water and was turning the Gamemaker's deathtrap into a scene of beauty. The mist clung to everything, hovering through the trees and paling the colors, transforming the muddy swamp.

"Look." I breathed, tugging at Adron and showing him the sight. He grunted.

"Huh. Yeah. Well, it will make us less easier to find." He commented, then swung his packs over his shoulder, put his sword in his belt and picked up the heavy club. I shrugged on my pack too, and took my dagger and spear.

"What are we going to do about the stuff we leave behind?" I asked.

Adron glanced at it.

"We'll just leave it. It can't do much harm to us." He says, and slipped down to the muddy swamp ground below. I followed him, careful of my hand. I could use it more now, but I was noticing that the swelling was not going down. It wasn't really a swelling anymore, either. It had hardened into a rough, thick layer of skin over my normal skin. I flexed it. It was a bit stiffer to move than the rest of my skin, but apart from that it was fine.

"Adron! Look! The stuff in the vines must react with skin and make it harder!" I said, pushing my hand and him. He glanced at his own hands. His layer of skin is a lot thicker and covers more surface area than mine. He poked it, and moved it about. He then lifted his hand up and ran his fingers across his face. There was now a large, ugly line running down his face, making him look a bit manic. Looking at it with fresh eyes made me realize how odd he looked with it- not like his usual cocky self. He looked more dangerous now, more worn and rugged. He looked a lot tougher.

"Let's head off." He said, and started walking. I didn't bother asking him if he knew where we were going. I knew we were looking for water, but I didn't know where. We were heading west and as we drew away from the wall and into the mist it enveloped us. It was still beautiful, but cold now, and menacing.

As the day wore on, the mist was burnt off by the sun, leaving the forest like it had been yesterday. I was still looking at the mud in front of us carefully, not wanting to be caught in the sinking muddy trap we had been in before. A few hours passed, and with them came a few changes in direction, but none of them yielded results for the location of water. I had a feeling that something was going to happen soon –had to happen soon- so the audience wouldn't be bored watching us. The cannons hadn't fired in ages, and I was just wondering if the Gamemakers were going to send the leeches back into the Arena when Adron stopped. I wound around him and looked to where he was looking. There, barely 20 feet ahead of us was a sleek, shiny metal bowl. It looked like a giant water fountain- like the ones we had at the factories, except this one was about 6 feet across. Contained within it was clear, shining, pure water.

Adron and I stared at it without moving, and I knew we were both thinking the same thing- it was too good to be true.

"They wouldn't just leave it there." I said. Adron nodded, looking like he's thinking hard.

I scanned the area around it. There were no trees leading up to it, but there were branches above it- thick enough to sit on. There was nothing in the swampy water surrounding it except a few reed-like plants and a couple of floating branches and logs.

I crouch down and examine the mud by my feet. There's a change in it- a small change, but a change. The mud by the basin is slightly darker.

"Let's find another way." I said.

"To get the water?" Said Adron doubtfully, glancing up at the branches.

"You mean we have to climb all the way up there?"

"Yes, unless we want to die from lack of hydration or by some other nasty trap the Gamemakers set up for us." I told him.

"Why don't we set up base here? I mean, if we climb a tree and set up base, then we can come and go, we'll be right by the water, and no-one will be able to even see us." I added, glancing up at a tree right beside us. It was the biggest tree I had seen in the forest yet- its trunk was almost as thick as one of the towers I had seen in the Capitol, and it was as practically as tall, too. It would have been near impossible to climb due it its girth, but it was covered with vines, moss and other clinging plants. Adron followed my gaze, scanning up the tree.

"Yeah, I guess we could." He said. "If we found a sleeping place near the base to the middle, it would be pretty safe." He said.

Something rustled and splashed in the water nearby, and we both froze, falling silent. I backed up against a tree, and Adron pulled out his club, holding it above his head. A bird flapped it's way out of a shadow grove nearby and flew out of the water. We both relaxed, but still remained alert as we moved slowly towards the huge tree. When we reached it, I started climbing first, careful to locate the vines that did not have nettle stings on them. When I reached the top of the roots, however, I found that we were facing a problem. The next branch was about 30 feet above my head, and the only way to climb to it was by the red-haired vines. Adron scrambled up beside me, and looked up.

"What are we going to do?" I say.

"Well, if I could get up there, the rope in our bag would reach, and the rest of the way looks easier." He told me.

"Yeah, I know that, but how are we going to get up? The only way is via the nettle-vines!" I told him. He looks and grunts.

"Huh. I guess we'll have to find another tree." He told me. I sighed and looked down, checking for danger, and then started my decent. I had really liked that huge tree- it was more of the fact it was the first one I had chosen- and partly for the lack of sleep I had had – or not had- last night. The tiredness was attacking my like a wave. I was paying attention so much to the disappointment and tiredness of the situation that I grabbed onto a nettle vine with my bad hand. I felt the burning in the sides of my hands, and wrenched it away, staring at it. The fresh skin around the ugly lump was burning and swelling anew, but the pre-affected skin was not burning at all. I could see the spines of the vines sticking out of the skin, but I couldn't feel any pain in that area.

The poison, after it's worn off, must form a numb barrier against attack! This could be used for a mutualistic relationship between the vine and another animal in the wild, but right now it means Adron can climb the tree without getting crippled!

I scrambled back up, ignoring the pain in my hands.

"Adron! Look! The vines don't affect pre-burned skin! You can climb the vines without getting affected!" I practically shouted at him, and he motioned for me to be quiet.

"Are you sure?" He said, looking doubtful again.

"Yes! Try it!" I said. He cautiously touched a vine with the callused part of his hand and then took it away.

"Sweet." He said, and started to climb.

I didn't take him too long, and he was tying the rope to the branch when I realized something. I couldn't climb ropes.

"Adron?" I called up to him, as quietly as I can.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"Can you tie the rope at few-foot intervals? So I can climb it?" I asked him. I was suddenly very aware of the fact that he was up there and I was on my own.

A splashing noise caught my attention, and I crouched down, peering in its direction. It was definitely human because of its rhythm, and it sounded like a single person. It was coming from the other side of the water basin. I couldn't see properly, and shifted to the side. I could only hear it for a few more seconds- it was making an awful amount of noise, and then a girl came into view. She had the nettle-vine marks all over her face, but hadn't seemed to have treated them with anything. She was definitely older than me- probably 18- and had very long, very curly black hair. I couldn't remember her name, but I thought she was from District 6. She was walking with a limp, and left boot looked ripped and chewn. She must have had it in the water when the leeches came.

She saw the water basin and her eyes open wide.

_No, _I thought, _no! It's a trap!_

I wanted to yell at her to go away, and would have done if it had been just me, but I did not want to endanger Adron and have her come and attack us. She was past the darker-mud line now, and starting to run waveringly towards the water. Nothing was happening. She stopped, hesitating- perhaps wondering if it's poisoned- but recklessly dipped her hands in and scooped up handfuls of it, splashing it into her mouth. She looked really thirsty, and still nothing was happening to her.

_Perhaps we were wrong, _ I thought, _Maybe it isn't a trap after all. Maybe the Gamemakers just wanted us to think it was a trap and then not get the water. Maybe- _

I cut myself of as the girl started moving again, started to limp away from the basin. I saw something move in the water. It was one of the logs, sliding towards her. I stared at it, confused. Was there a current in the water? The log slipped under the water, and other logs started moving too, towards the girl. She was limping faster, as unnerved as I was at the strange behavior of the dead wood that was floating around. Then, I realized that they weren't logs floating in the water. They had a bark-like pattern, they even had little twigs sticking out of them- which I was sure was due to the capitol's intervention- but once I noticed it, there was no mistaking the two beady little eyes, the large, fat back, the long tail of an Alligator.

I tensed up against the tree as one of the huge beasts flew out of the water, droplets flying off it like pollen in spring. It's maw was open wide and hanging; it's long rows of teeth were glistening. The girl didn't scream- out of acceptance or surprise, I didn't know, but she just had time to crouch and turn before the strong fangs of the Alligator snapped closed around her body.

So that's what the trap was. The alligators. They must not be able to come out of the dark mud, or something, bound to protect the clear, fresh water in their midst. A cannon went off, and the alligator opened its mouth, leaving its prey alone. It sickened me that the scientists who made these strange, leafy, twiggy Gators even changed their instincts so that they would not eat what they had just killed.

Soon enough, a hovercraft is overhead, and the body of the District 6 girl is being lifted into the air.


	22. Hidden and discovered

_The camera switches from the faces of the District 8 tributes setting up camp in the tree to the District 11 girl. She's on the other side of the arena, and the second water basin. Her fight with the alligators earlier had left her with some nasty wounds; there's a brief shot of her starting to bandage them, but then the camera switches. Ever since the death of the District 6 girl a few hours ago, nothing much had been happening, and the Gamemakers have decided to do something about that. The ground is shaking, and the mud and water in the upper area, where most of the remaining tributes are, starts sloshing around. The tributes' faces are shown- the two guys from 3 and 10 are panicked, though helping each other make their way out, the girl from 11 is cursing loudly as she abandons her medicinal effort and starts to move. The mud is dangerous, though, sloshing and heavy- she almost gets pulled along by a heavy mudslide, but manages to leap onto a tree. _

_That camera switches to the career alliance- they are still at the cornucopia, and though not affected by the earthquake, are watching it's effects with amazement. The boy from 5 is driven out, he's safe now and panting heavily, clutching his javelin and glancing behind him. The girl from 9 is safe too, at another part of the forest, her golden-brown curly hair matted and muddy. A clip shows the District 8 tributes looking up and around in confusion, apparently able to hear the tremors._

_The camera gleefully pans in on a blonde, small-headed girl from 10, and then zooms out. The audience from Panem can see clearly she's headed straight for the career pack in the Cornucopia.  
>She keeps running, determined, and sides to a halt when she enters the clearing. She knows she's out of the frying pan and into the fire. The careers leap up with cries of triumph- all except the District 1 male, who looks as grim as ever as he charges towards the blonde. She lets out a cry and stumbles backwards, turning tail and running, but they're hot on her heels. She dodges through the trees, leaping nimbly over roots and branches. The girl from 4 trips over a branch cursing and spitting, but her companions ignore her, intent on their hunt. It was the District 2 girl who stopped her. She had gained and got ahead, and then rounded in on the fleeing girl as she was running forward. The other tributes are encircling her, a mud-stained and furious girl from 4 soon joining them. The blonde looks proud and smug, yet her eyes betray her true feelings- dismay. The District 2 female lifts her bow and shoots her squarely in the forehead. A cannon blasts since the girl is obviously dead, and the District 2 girl steps forward to retrieve her arrow.<em>

"_Nice shot." Says the District one male flatly, and he immediately turns to head back to camp._

"_Did you see the look on her face before she went down?" says the remaining boy from 2._

"_Yeah, Bristian, she looked almost like you did last night when Levar stole your food," Snickered Emeray, the District 4 tribute. Bristian glowered. _

"_That was not fair. I won that food, and-"he began, but the girl__ from 2__, Levar , cut him off._

"_Well, I guess you can say I won it off you, then can't you?" She said. The other two girls laughed, and Bristian scowled ever deeper._

"_Whatever." He muttered and stalked back off towards the Cornucopia and the rest of their supplies._

* * *

><p>Adron.<p>

"What do you think happened?" Asked Jolissa worriedly.

"Someone died." I told her. She gave me a scathing look.

"Yeah, I heard the cannon. But why?"

I shrugged.

"I don't know. Honestly, I hope the careers have started fighting amongst themselves. That'll be the best news I heard all day." I tell her, relaxing backwards in our little wood-cave. It was a natural formation that was made when two of the branches had wound together in a funny way. The space in the racks had been filled with moss and vines, so if you didn't mind it being a little damp, it was a perfect place to camp out.

Oh, and if you didn't mind heights. We were about three-quarters of the way up the tree, which was about 100 feet up in the air. It was quite a sight looking down on. It had taken us a few hours to get up here, because we had to made an easier path by knotting the vines together. Jolissa had to disguise them so it wasn't obvious, but now it was relatively easy to get up to our little spot. There was only one bit that was kind of hard- to reach the knot of vines part-way of the tree which you had to jump, and really reach in order to cling on to and continue climbing. Jolissa and I were tall and thin, so it wasn't as hard as it could have been.

"I'm going out to try and figure out a way of reaching the water without being in danger of the gator-mutts." She told me. I nodded.

Now we were both safe in the arena, with nothing to do, I had started to think.

My alliance with Jolissa was fine for now. But there were only 9 people left in the arena, and five of those were careers. One of them was the girl from 12 who I knew would be a threat, and the other was that boy from 5 who was really good at long range combat- someone would need to be up close and catch him unawares in order to take him down. That left three people. No, wait, I hadn't counted me and Jolissa. There were eleven people in the arena. That still left three people, though. I didn't know who they were, so I decided I hadn't remembered them for a reason.

Still. Only eleven left. It looked like the careers were going to start hunting us down one by one, like the usually did, and I didn't know how long I would last against five fully-trained tributes. I had to figure out a way to split them up- or, at least get rid of their supplies at the Cornucopia. If they had those, then they could easily outlast us. We would have to destroy them.

My thoughts turned again to the recount of the deaths I had caused, and I sighed, resigning to them. They seemed to wait until I was on my own with nothing to do, and then they'd sneak up on me and haunt me. I had figured It was the price to pay for trying to win in the arena without going insane or psychotic. I would have to deal with it if I wanted to win. It was a part of the skill it took to win- a part I had never seen in the games- the struggle in your mind was as much of a fight to survive as fighting the other tributes was.

A creature popped it's head into our den. I blinked at it. It suddenly jumped about a foot in her air, causing me to jump, too. I knocked into a pile of our stuff, spilling in on the floor. What on earth was the creature doing?

It looked a bit like a very fat, very heavy cat, with a wide face. It had black surrounding its eyes- which were an unnatural blue- and a long, stripy tail. Another one appeared behind it. Its eyes were the electric blue, too. I really hoped they weren't mutts, and if they were, I hoped they weren't going to kill me.

They didn't. The lunged forward, grabbing a fallen container- I think the 'adhesive' one, and ran out. The other one grabbed a plastic container with food in it, and ran out, too.

I followed it, and watched, gobsmacked as they both threw our stuff off the tree, and turned back for more.

"Oh no, you don't" I mutter, and draw my sword. I attack the first one closest to me, and immediately they're both on me, clawing and biting. I slash and slash and stab, and eventually, they're both laying dead at my feet.

Jolissa come back then, carrying a bottle full of water and a long string of threaded rope.

"Adron! What did you do to those poor raccoons?" She said, shocked and dismayed.

I can't believe it. She's actually mad at me for killing these things.

"They were stealing our stuff and destroying it. And besides, they kind of attacked me." I say coolly, glaring at them.

She come and crouched down beside them, opening their eyes.

"Oh, yeah they're mutts." She says. "You can usually tell by the eyes."

"Mutts that were stealing our supplies?" I ask, incredulously.

She shrugs.

"It's not impossible. Raccoons are natural scavengers anyway. You'd only have to tweak a few things."

"Huh. Well, do you think they're edible?" I ask.

She examines them.

"Do you want to risk it?" She asks.

"Don't you have some kind of poison detector in the medicine kit?" I say.

She nods, and heads into the grotto, and picks something up.

She shrugs, and puts a few drops onto the meat. They sizzle and turn a bright green.

"They're ok." She says.

I look around. We're on a tree.

"We can't build a fire up here, can we?" I ask. Jolissa looks amused, a crinkle on her nose and her eyes sparkling.

"No, of course we can't. We'd start a forest fire." She says. I smile at her.

"I was only joking " I tell her. It was half-true.

I turn and go inside, starting to tidy up the contents of the stuff I knocked over when the stupid raccoon-thing made me jump. The silver box has spilled a bit of its contents of the floor of the tree-cave. I sigh and pick it up, leaving the powder on the ground. There's not much of it, only a bit. I start packing things away- the matches the wire, the flint. I pick up both of the pieces on flint carelessly, not focusing on them and so I jump when they rub together and a spark comes out. I snort at myself, for being so stupid, and rub them again. The spark hits the black powder on the floor and it fizzles and lights up brightly for a second with a small 'poof', and then dies. I stare at it. It had left a sizzling lump on the tree and had turned completely black and powdery.

"Jolissa! Come look at this!" I say. She ducks her head past the moss at the entrance, and then steps in.

"What is it?" She says.

"I don't know. That powdery stuff, I hit it with a spark and it just flared up!" I told her. Her eyes widened, and she lurched forwards, grabbing the silver box, and re-examining it.

"Gunpowder." She whispers, staring at the stuff with awe.

"What's that?" I ask, feeling stupid.

"It is extremely flammable. They used to use it in guns and bombs and stuff- before they discovered nuclear power and cell bombs and stuff. But here's it's a treasure trove! We can use this amount of powder to blow something up- or a sure-fire way to start a big blaze!" she tells me.

An idea flashes through my head.

"Like the items at the cornucopia?" I say, a smile forming on my face at the same rate an idea was forming in my mind.


	23. Surprise Bomb

_Hey guys! Zeiddo here. Chapter 23! Wow! I'm so glad to have gotten this far, and with less than half the contestants left, plans are begining to form. I want to know how I'm doing, so if you guys want to review, please do! I'm grateful to everyone who read this far, and though the ending's not quite here yet, I'm hoping you'll stay wiht me till then!_

_Love, Zeiddo :)_

* * *

><p>Night fell, and with it came the news of two more deaths. The 18-year-old we knew about, or course, but the proud girl from ten was a surprise. I remembered her- the way she had looked at me in the training session, almost sneering at me for being grossed-out by the animal guts. I hadn't liked her, but was still sad about her death. Or, well, as sad as you could be about another tribute's death in the Arena.<p>

We had spent the whole rest of the day ripping off bits of the inside of my jacket and stuffing them with gunpowder, before sewing them up with the needle and thread from the medical kit.

We were on the move, now- leaving most of our stuff in our tree den and backpacking the rest.

We had reached the lower branches of the tree when we saw the leeches. They were out again tonight, a seething mass of wriggling bodies just scrambling to devour us.

"What are we going to do?" I hiss at Adron, keeping my voice low. He looks at me, surprise in his eyes.

"We're going to continue as normal." He tells me, and starts skimming along the branch, reaching out too where it touched the next tree and crossing there. I sigh. This was going to be long, dangerous and arduous. I wondered why I was even coming along.

I followed him grudgingly, and I was right about the trip being long. I really hoped Adron knew which direction we were supposed to be going, because crossing from giant tree to giant tree required finding branches that intersected, and that required scaling up and down each tree until you found the right branch. My blisters from the nettle-vine stings earlier had hardened after I had treated them with swamp dock earlier, and there was only a few places I found that the vines could reach on my bad hand now. I had to start the process anew with crippling burns on the other, now though, and had to hold Adron up while treating them with the medical supplies I had brought. All in all, it took up about three drowsy hours to reach the cornucopia by tree, where it would have taken us less than half the time to walk. The careers were camping in the actual mouth of the cornucopia. The supplies were not all in the mud any more- most had been moved to drier patches, but they still weren't all completely together.

"Aim at the food supplies." Adron instructs me, and starts heading down. I set the backpack down on the pile and take up my first gunpowder packet. We'd made about 34 in all, tiny little explosives, and the four that Adron had had small, long vine sproutlings that he was going to light. I started throwing my packages into the piles of supplies, some hitting near their targeted area, some going way off. I was glad for the fact the supplies were at least a few feet from the places where the careers were camping. I didn't want to hurt them, not really.

Adron had the dangerous job- placing the long, joint-fused gunpowder packs in the pile, making sure the fuses remained dry, lighting them, and getting away all without getting noticed by the careers. Once I was done, I dropped the backpack down, which was the signal from him to start. I watched him nervously, chewing on my lip. I was sure the cameras would be on us, sabotaging the career camp while everyone else was asleep. Thinking of sleep made me remember how tired I as, and to keep awake I focused on the guard of the career camp; the girl from 2 was sitting the entrance to the cornucopia, weapon in hand and glowering into the night. I scrunched up my face and switched my focus back to Adron; he had placed the first little bomb and was moving to the next. The girl, Levar, looked in his direction, and he didn't notice. I stared at him, willing him to freeze, and thankfully he did. She squinted into the night, apparently put off by the fire she had just been staring at. She turned away again, apparently not too concerned- besides, who would be stealing their stuff in the middle of a leech infestation?

Adron paused for a few seconds after she turned away, and then he continued in his work. He placed the last little package beside the food pile, and let his hand follow the string up to where it met the joined pieces, and then further. He carried along, and then crouched down, getting the flint out of his pocket. I had wanted him to use a match, but he had stubbornly insisted on the flint. I didn't know why- maybe it was some kind of man thing? He gathered the dry twigs from one of his many trouser pockets, and then struck the flint a few times. I was intently watching from my tree, convinced that everything was going to go wrong. And then, it lit. He jumped back, and ran for my tree. I knew I could go now, leave and head off back to camp, but I wanted to wait for Adron. He was scaling the tree now, climbing, almost as fast as the fire that was licking along the rope and floor. It had reached the split in the vines now; it was branching off. It looked like Levar had noticed something- she had stood up and was staring in the direction of the fire, squinting.

_Please get back. If you stay in there you'll be safe! _I think desperately, and to my relief she goes to the back of the horn. Hopefully the bombs will go off before they all come out. I jump as the first one goes off- a fountain of sparks that lights up the air for a second with an accompanying sound, and the first pile is burning. It's a chain reaction-as the fire spreads, more and more of the packages I threw are going off, exploding here and there. The fire is spreading to the other piles, and a heat is going up. I am transfixed by the heat, the flames, that I don't notice Adron right beside me.

"Let's go Jolissa" I hear him say, feeling a tug on my sleeve. I turn from the fire in front of me and face him.

"Do you think they'll make it?" I ask him.

"Who cares? I hope not." He replies. I purse my lips, disappointed at his lack of empathy, but follow him down the branch as we start our hours-long journey back to our base camp.

I don't look back as we make our way through the trees. The fire doesn't follow us, which I guess is a plus, and no cannon sounds, which is a plus too. The tiredness and lack of sleep is really grating on me, and when we are finally crawling back into our tree fort, I can do nothing but crawl, exhausted back into my sleeping bag and let the tiredness in my eyes make my body heavy.

I awoke to a sense of accomplishment, and though at first I couldn't remember why it so comes back to me. We did it! We destroyed the careers supplies, and evened out the odds a bit! Adron will have more of a chance of making it, and I can help him.

It's definitely odd, planning a future which I know I'm not going to be a part of. I push it to the back of my mind, deciding I'd rather not think about it. I get up, and realize how disgusting I feel. I've been wearing my clothes for the last couple of days without changing, haven't washed or even scrubbed in that time, and my hair has been in the same bun. There's not really much I can do about the feeling, unless I fancy getting eaten by alligators, but it's disgusting nevertheless.

I dig into our food supply and find something breakfast-like. It's jerky meat, with crackers and dried apple and banana chips. They're pretty good, if a bit dry, so my next step is to drain a bit of our current water supply.

Adron's already awake and sitting by the entrance to our hidey-hole.

"Adron." I tell him. "What are we doing today?"

He gives a harsh laugh.

"Surviving." He tells me surly. Something tells me he's in a bad mood.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Nothing." He growls.

"Come on, let's leave this tree before the Gamemakers decide we're being too boring and send something to turf us out."

His attitude towards the day is affecting mine. I know that if I let it get to me I will soon end up as grumpy as he is, but I decide to fight the sourness for now.

"Ok." I agree. "Let's get out."

The air and forest was beautifully covered with mist again, it creeping through the trees and floating in the air. Despite Adron's audible intentions, instead of heading down and out of the tree, he starts climbing up. I sigh as I think of climbing- all the work I did yesterday my body is not used too, and my muscles are aching like crazy. I stretch, remembering what I know about muscle pains and growth, but remembering that my muscles hurt because I worked them so hard yesterday they ripped, and that because I didn't stretch, the natural acids in my body aren't helping the doesn't do much for me. Even knowing that new muscle tissue is going to fill the cracks doesn't cheer me up. I'm not actually going to live long enough to enjoy the new muscles. All I have to deal with is the pain. I start to follow Adron in climbing up, not questioning or arguing with him. He keeps on climbing, higher and higher, not breaking pace until we're both panting and the tree won't support him anymore. I'm breathing shallowly, amazed at the view from up here. We can't see past some of the trees, but from our huge monster tree, we can see past most of them. Form here, we can see the wall of the arena. It looks like the arena's not in a circle, but is in more of an oval shape. We're in one of the ends of the oval- if it's that; we can only see our half of the area. It looks like the Cornucopia's directly north- in the middle of the shape- and then we can't see past there. We can't actually see the cornucopia either- just the clearing of trees where it sits. There's a clearing right next to us, too- where the fresh water basin sits.

Adron didn't show any signs that he might be moving soon. He just stared out at the arena, thinking about something known only to him. I was happy waiting, but I was still waiting, and the sun was a lot higher- and my muscles a lot stiffer before I spoke.

"Adron, should we head down now?" I ask. He nods, and starts climbing down.

I'm disappointed to find that a lot of the mist has evaporated by the time we make it back- it was really beautiful. Adron didn't seem to be hesitant about going down now, and I wondered if he hadn't before because of the unknown that the mist hides.

Finally, we make it to the bottom, and once again wade into the deep, muddy water of the swamp.


	24. Realizing

_Author's note:_

_Ok, so I was looking up District 8 tributes in the books, and I found about Woof! I can't believe I forgot him! I've changed my chapters a bit, but in case you can't be bother to go find it (I know I wouldn't) Then it's basically this: He's old even now, and there can't be more than 2 male mentors, so he switches out with the others. It's not his turn this year. Adron has respect for the man's skills and is annoyed thet the capitol didn't let him join, since they had not female mentors, but notes he looks a bit relieved_.

* * *

><p>Jolissa<p>

I was away from camp. Not far; I went to the far side of the water basin to see if there were any more dock leaves or thing of that sort- my climb had yet again aggravated some patched of my skin I didn't know hadn't been touched, and my supply was getting low. Adron had sat down by the tree when we had reached the ground, and had just stared at the water. I honestly thought he looked a bit tired, and wondered if he had gotten any sleep last night. A bird call made me jump- I had just been inspecting a plant I think would make you puke- you know if you ate something poisonous. My pulse was quicker now, my body tense. I shook myself, cursing my jumpiness, and realized I was out here all alone without any protection. Had I forgotten I was in the hunger games? Why hadn't Adron remembered? Had he let me go out here on purpose without him?

I shook myself again this time to stop all the stupid thoughts that were racing through my head. I decided to head back anyway and stay with Adron, and was beginning to head back when I heard it again. It was closer, louder, but coming from a slightly different direction. With it was something else- a faint noise that I couldn't make out. My pulse was racing again, my breathing was quickening. I started to walk faster. I was at the edge of the muddy basin, walking along the side of it. The cry sounds again, definitely closer, and the sound with it is louder. Footsteps. Splashes. Definitely human, definitely multiple, and definitely, definitely, heading this direction. I was in a dilemma- should I run and make a load of noise, or keep my pace and remain quiet? Our tree, the giant tree is in sight now, and Adron's not there.  
>The cry sounds again, and a dozen feet from me across the clearing enters two boys.<p>

My first thought is careers, but no- these boys are alone, and much too scrawny to be careers. One of them is barely 14 and the other one about a year older. The younger one is carrying a bow and arrows. He's from district…9? 10? I can't quite remember his name, though. The other one…he had distinct features. Fuze. Fuze from District 3.

"Hi." I say, holding my hands up to show them I'm unarmed.

"Fuze, right?" I say.

They turn to look at me, the smaller one raised his bow. Caius! That's his name.

"Caius, please don't, I'm unarmed." I manage, not letting my eyes stray from the bow. Fuze looks at me, considering.

"Any funny business an' we'll shoot you straight through." He declares with a sniff.

"Understood?"

I nod.

"Right. You're that twin, right?' He says. I nod again. Are they actually going to let me go?

Caius lowers his bow, his eyes catching the water.

"Fuze." He croaks. "Water."

Fuze's eyes leave me for a second and see that water. A glow lights up in his eyes and he steps forward closer to the darker mud.

"Stop!" I tell him, stepping forward. Caius, without hesitation, raises his bow and shoots me. I scream as he hits me right in the bruised hip, hitting the side and going in at an angle. The pain shoots through my body like a lance; I double over and collapse to the floor- immediately regretting it when the movement tears open more of my flesh. I am whimpering now, collapsed on the floor. I don't look now, but I know he's going to be loading another arrow, this time to finish me off.

I tense, waiting for the twang and hit, but it doesn't come. Instead I hear splashing.

_They're walking toward the water basin! They're doomed!_

"Stop, please." I mumble weakly. If they heard me, they didn't respond. Caius' young face pops into my head, and I get new energy. I turn around and face them, trying to focus through the pain and blood seeping from my wound.

"Stop! Please! It's a trap, you'll get killed!" I tell them. Caius stops and turns around.

"Shut up you lying-" he then calls me a very nasty word. Huh. Not as young in his mind as he appears. "What, you think you're going to stop us drinking? We saw the people at the other one, what know it's safe. You trying to kill us by telling us lies?"

There's a sneer on his young face that doesn't suit him at all.

Fuze is at the fountain- he's stooping to drink, but Caius is heading towards me. He's pulling a small, nasty-looking weapon out of his pocket. It looks old and rusty and painful as like if you stab with it, it will snap off and rot in their body. He's heading out of the danger zone.

"Imma finish you off." He snarls. The alligators are moving. They're mostly heading towards Fuze, but one or two are following Caius.

I close my eyes. Where is Adron? He's not going to be here when I die.

I hear a huge splash, and a yell, and then a lot of thrashing. I open my eyes to see Fuze being eater by the alligators. I was horrified. I hadn't seen someone being killed his close before, and like in all the games on TV.

I wanted to run to my parent's arms and close my eyes and not watch it, which was easy in front of a TV, but when someone's being ripped to bloody pieces in front of you, there's not much you can do but watch. There were a lot of teeth and bones and a lot of blood. There was screaming too, but I wasn't too sure if that had been me or Fuze.

Caius had stumbled out of the danger zone, and the alligators were not following him- they were too busy with Fuze. Too busy ripping Fuze to pieces.

The cannon sounded, waking me from my sick stupor and bringing me back to the games. Caius was still staring at the remains of the alliance he had made.

Something moved behind him, and my eyes were drawn to it. I caught a glimpse of skin, and then suddenly Adron was leaping through the air, and he was swinging his club down. There was a sickening thwack, and a wet noise, and Caius crumpled to the ground. I was still staring at him, and Adron was trying to make me get up when the cannon went off.

"Come on, Jolissa, let's move." He was saying.

"Oh man. Oh man." I say, feelings rushing up in me.

"You killed him!"

Adron's hand was around my shoulders, helping me walk with the arrow still sticking out of my hip.

"Caius! He's dead! You killed him! "I said again, still in shock. "He was 14….his family just watched him die. You just killed him."

I wasn't too sure if I was blaming Adron or not. I wasn't even too sure of what I was saying. I seemed to be floating of a haze, gibbering. My neck was bent back towards Caius, and I was trying to get a glimpse of his body. I was floating in and out, the pain receding back and forth. I could feel tears falling from my eyes, blurring my vision. The boy had been 14. He had a family. I didn't know what district he was from.

"You kill-"I was up against the tree where Adron had just slammed me. His arm was pressing me tightly too the tree, his face was right up against mine. He looked furious. He was breathing fully, and I was giving him my full attention.

"Jolissa, listen to me. Don't do this to me. You. Can't. Do. This. To. Me. Not here, not now, not while I need to do this. Stop talking. I can't listen, Jolissa, So don't you ever-" He shoved his face closer to mine at this word, his spit flecking into my face. "-Ever. bring this up again. Understand?"

I nodded as much as I could, tears still running down my face.

He didn't put me down yet, he just stared at me, and when he next spoke, he sounded desperate.

"Please Jolissa, you can't." I let me go then, and I fell to the floor. He caught me before I damaged my hip more. I was angry now as well as sad- I'm pretty sure all of Panem just saw that, and I couldn't deal with this much right now. I shut up, though, and let his take me back to the tree. I didn't even speak when he yanked the arrow out of my hip, and sanitized and bandaged the wound. I just sat there, tears pouring down my face. For the first time in the arena, I really wished my death would come sooner. Like, really soon.


	25. Split

Adron.

Jolissa wouldn't talk to me for the rest of the day. She just sat there in a sad, depressed little silence, tears sometimes pouring down her cheeks in an on and off cycle.

She climbed back up into the tree, but refused to move after that. I didn't really want to be around her.

I can't believe she did that to me. I thought it was just my own mind that was out to get me and guilt trip me about the deaths I'd caused in the arena, but Jolissa going on about it in such a shocked way- after I'd saved her life, I might add- was unbearable.

She had almost broken me. I could feel it, even now how close I had come. The wall I had built up protecting me from the reality of the death, the killings I had caused had shattered for a second.

I knew that If I let killing get to me now, it would be our undoing. I had already killed, and planned to kill again, and I couldn't let her shove realities in my face.

When she mentioned his family, that's what had done it. I knew if she went on, I would think of the boy as I just killed as a person, and that meant I would have had to face the guilt of murder.

I'm not proud of what I did to Jolissa. It was necessary. I had to get her to shut up, to stop talking, and that was the only way I could have done it. So what if she hates me now and thinks I'm a heartless murderer? She's not going to be coming out of this arena.

As I sit on the branch above Jolissa, I know something. I can't camp here anymore. We'd been separated for hours, and the sun was setting.

A sliver package floated down through the tangle of branches and lands on my knee.

My first sponsor gift! I rip it open quickly, and stare at its contents. It's a meal. It was a hot meal, a meal with real, juicy meat and a delicious looking pudding- and a meal for one.

Chintz and Rayon were the ones who chose what gifts were sent. Were they trying to tell me something?

A meal for one given to me. Did Chintz want me to be on my own in this arena? He's the one who suggested our alliance in the first place. But Jolissa….I could survive without her. I had my food and weapons, and I didn't need her.

She would need me for protection, but I was never meant to protect her forever. Am I meant to keep her alive until I have to kill her? Surely Chintz doesn't want me to do that. Maybe he's right. Maybe it's best If I spilt and go on my own now, and let Jolissa die by someone else. It's not what I would have wanted, but I didn't want Jolissa to be in here in the first place. There's a lot of things that I don't want that have happened. I look at the meal.

I'll leave the first thing in the morning. Jolissa won't know where I've gone, and if she asks, I'll tell her to stay put.

I eat the meal as the sun's last rays disappear though the trees, and as the swishing and splashing of the nightly leeches make their way up to my ears, I can almost her an exasperated sigh coming from them I felt exactly the same way.

The next morning I pack my stuff, grabbing the sword and most of the food supplies. I leave the club behind, because my hand are easily mobile now, meaning I can use the sword, and besides it's a heavy thing to carry, and I left the dagger behind in case Jolissa had to defend herself. I didn't want to leave her completely without anything. I briefly think about the spear, before realizing we had left it behind when we had taken the leeches. I had completely forgotten about it, and not I guess we don't have one.

I pause before I leave and carve 'stay here' into the entrance wood, before starting my decent down the tree. I wonder if she'll see it or listen to it.

I feel bad about leaving her behind, but I've made my choice, and I feel it's the best choice I could have made under the circumstances.

I look back at the tree one last time before I start heading north-west through the woods.

I keep an eye out for color changes in the mud- they always meant danger- and as I walked I let my hand trail to the raised mark on my face from where the vine had hit me.

With the deaths of those two boys yesterday, that meant there were only ten of us left; me, Jolissa, the girl from 11, the boy from 5, 5 careers, and another person who I did not remember. The careers were still at an advantage here, since it was five of them united and no more alliances. I had to figure out a way to wither kill them all off at once of separate them. My brow furrowed as I thought of how to do this, and for a second I wondered if the odds were against me.

I shook that thought off. If I had an attitude like that, then I would not help myself at all. I have to be alert right now. I sighed and looked around, concentrating on my surroundings. I knew I would not be near the Cornucopia, and hopefully not near the careers. I wondered what they had done after we had blown their stuff up- and how much damage they had done.

The question burned in my head. To go see how well our plan had worked, if we had truly destroyed the supplies. I wanted to go and see, yet I knew that was one place that definitely had dangers. For one, it was a open clearing, easy for someone to shoot or throw across, two the careers might be waiting for their attacker to come, three the bombs might not have done enough damage to make them leave, and even then they might not have left anyway. Still, the more I thought about it, the more convinced I was that unless I was completely sure that they did not have a supply of items, I could not be sure I could outlast them. I had just assumed until I thought about it that we had destroyed it, and then my mind had been on other things. I had to know whether I had destroyed their base.

I was not going to go on foot, though, and so I continued for a while before shimmying up a nearby tree- ignoring my aches and pains- and started to make a long, up and down journey to the North West.

When I reached the clearing, I could only stare. The ground was dark and burned; blackened, half melted blades of weapons were scattered in various piled amongst small heaps of ash, and the other discernible shapes were visible from my view. The clearing appeared deserted, though I did not test that by revealing myself.

The sad, mess remains of the bomb fires sat next to the mud and thin layer of water that the cornucopia was set in. Bushes and ferns, reeds and grasses poked in the sides of the clearing, and the vibrant brown tree trunks looked annoyed as their coat of vines and mosses had been singed. It was a scene of destruction in the middle of a forest, and sadness clung into the air that seemed to be directed at me. I knew I had caused this, but I shook the feeling off. I had to. There was no other choice.

The actually metal frame of the cornucopia was mainly untouched, and though it would have been a relief to have had the careers gone, even I was glad that they had not been burnt and cooked to death by the flames.

When it came to it, I would be sure to kill them as quickly and cleanly as I could. I promised them that.

Jolissa

I awoke to find Adron gone.

I wasn't worried at first, because it wasn't unusual for him to sit outside in the morning. I was a bit concerned that he hadn't woken me up for watch, but a bit secretly pleased, too. It was when I saw the words that he had scratched into the entrance that I began to worry.

Stay here. Why on earth would I do that? Just sit here, not knowing what was going on? I go outside crossly, ready to start snapping at him for ordering me about again, but he's not where he usually is, sitting outside on the branch. I look up, searching for him, and then down, but he wasn't there. I still wasn't too concerned- it wasn't like I needed to babysit him- but I knew he had ditched me for sure when I went back into the cave to find half our stuff had gone. I sat down; starting at the pile he had left me. The club was here, leaning against the wall.

I squeeze my eyes shut and open them again. Nothing's changed.

I wonder why. Why he left me. I suppose it was the easiest way for him. Maybe he didn't want to be responsible for me, and ultimately my death. This was actually the most logical conclusion, leaving an injured ally behind to die by murder or mutts. That still didn't stop it hurting like a bitch.

I sighed, and picked up the dagger on the floor. He had left if behind- on purpose it seemed. Did he think I was going to use it? I couldn't kill someone if my life depended on it- which it would, of course.

Still, I tuck the dagger away in my belt. Maybe I could use it to fend off some animals or mutts. Or maybe I just didn't want him to find it if he came back.

My hip was still damaged, and painful to move, but I packed up the stuff, accidentally knocked the club over the edge of the tree, and started my painful and slow decent down the tree.

Stay here.

Huh. I wasn't going to stay there. No-one would find me there. I would survive till the end of the games, and then Adron would have t come and kill me. Why did he even leave that? Did he want to kill me?

I didn't think so. If he had, he would have had plenty of chances.

Maybe he was just trying to be nice, but hadn't thought it through. That didn't help me either. My thoughts were disrupted when a vine I was clinging on to suddenly ripped of the tree. I clung onto it, and it dropped me a couple of meters, but thankfully it stopped with a jerk that aggravated my hip again. I closed my eyes and felt like crying. What with Adron's crazy actions over the last few days, me being abandoned and being in the hunger games, for goodness's sake, it was too much. I let one tear slide down my face before stopping myself. I had come in here to die. I knew that.

It took a long time before I unstopped myself from that vine and continued my slow decent.

When I finally reached the bottom of the tree, I didn't know where to go. I checked my water supply; thankfully it was enough that I didn't have to go back up the tree and refill it. That now seemed like an impossible task with my hip. I was even surprised I had managed to make it down the tree at all.

I started walking- well, more like hobbling- into the forest. I had no idea where I was going or what I was doing. If I was lucky, someone might find me and finish me off quickly. I wouldn't try and run.


	26. The Careers

_The cameras pan in on the surviving tribute from five- a wiry boy with a good arm. He had on his back a spear he had found near the edge of the arena along with a few other useful things. The spear rested comfortably on his back; he could throw well, and spear and knives were his weapons of choice. He crept into the piles of ashes the bombing of the previous night head left, glancing around carefully before rooting through the piles. It was a long task, searching the piles for what was salvageable, but eventually, he found something of value- two throwing knifes; part of a set. Their companions were melted and twisted- basically unusable, but these two were merely blackened. He smiled, and carefully and scurries back through the forest. The cameras switch briefly to the Careers' camp- it is evident that the boy is headed there- though whether known or unknown to the him is lost on the audience._

_As he makes his journey, the camera switches through the remaining tributes; the light- golden- brown curly haired and tired District 9 tribute, the dark-haired and muscular District 8 tribute, walking through the trees. It then shows his female counterpart- the round-faced, light- golden- brown curly haired and now limping figure that was wandering pointlessly though the trees. Then, finally the dark-skinned female from District 11, weaponless and hurt, but still cautious and threatening. The camera turns back to the Career encampment. The girl from one, Shimmer, is getting up and leaving the camp for a few minutes; apparently she needs some time alone. The boy, Bristian, follows a short while later, and they meet up by a tree a few meters away. She's annoyed, and talking to him sharply, but he's keeping a smile on his face, and keep on joking with her. _

_When she finally says something to make his face darken like hers, he lunges and grabs her wrist. She's not to be reckoned with though, and quickly the two are wrestling, grabbing and twisting. It's clear that this is not going to end well for one of them, and the girl, Shimmer, seems to be winning the fight. For a second. She rises above him, hands clasped around his throat, but just then a knife soars through the air and hits her in the face. The District 5 boy has made it to the camp, but he's not stupid enough to stick around; his work done, he has taken tail and was running for his life. _

_Bristian does not hesitate- he pulls the knife out and stabs the girl again, this time dealing a death blow. A few second pass, and Shimmer collapses to the floor. A few more seconds, in which Bristian kneels down beside her and removes the knife. The girl is not recognizable now; her face destroyed by the knife, and there is no response from her as the cannon sounds._

_Bristian looks at the knife in his hand and the back towards the camp. He looks back at the girl again, glances at the knife in his hand and heads back to his camp._

"What happened, Bristian?" Asked Levar, glancing up at him.

"I don't know." He said, fingering the bloody knife in his pocket. "I heard a scuffling and headed back here after the cannon sounded."

"What, were you scared or something? Afraid to face danger without us?" Mocked Emeray.

Bristian scowled.

He had had enough of these stupid girls to last him a lifetime. All they did was make fun of him constantly. He had been glad to be rid of Shimmer, and would be just as glad to leave these two idiots behind. He would not attack them here, no. He had just returned to collect some supplies. He didn't need allies, especially idiotic girls and a creepy short guy who he didn't trust at all. He started packing some supplies into a backpack.

"What are you doing?" Asked Levar. She was very pretty, as he never failed to notice, but very, very annoying.

"Making sure this stuff's easy to carry in case we have to move again. Do you want this stuff going up in flames?" He spat. Levar left him alone. The others had not let her forget that it was her turn on watch duty that had led to their supplies being destroyed. It was Onyx's quick thinking that had let them drag most of the backpack to the back of the cornucopia. It had been a horrible feeling, being trapped between the fire and the leeches, sitting in the horn and waiting to see if they were going to be burnt to death or not.

He finished packing the bag.

"Hey, shouldn't Shimmer be back by now? I mean, she was only going to piss." Said Emeray, crude as ever.

"Maybe she got attacked." Said Bristian casually.

Levar shrugged, and got up, grabbing Emeray and dragging her in the direction that Shimmer had gone in.

"You go her, didn't you?" Said Onyx. He was sitting n a log, examining one of his daggers thoughtfully.

"Yes." Said Bristian.

"Now you're breaking our alliance." He continued.

"I'm going. Are you going to try and stop me?" Asked Bristian, coldly. This freak creeped him out.

"No. I'm going to go after the girls. If you're here when I get back, I will fight you." He said, and stood up, looking Bristian right in the eye. Bristian glared at him, and then took off, swinging his backpack over his shoulder and heading off into the forest.  
>Onyx started walking slowly to the place where the girls had gone. He was glad the alliance was over- the others would be easy, maybe with the exception of that tall boy- and now all he had to do was wipe out the competition.<p>

He found them not to far away, staring at Shimmer's dead body.

"Onyx? Where's Bristian?" Asked Emeray, confused.

"He did it." Onyx told her.

"Wait, Bristian, did this? He broke the alliance?" She said.

"Yes." Said Onyx, and stabbed her cleanly in the ribcage.

She gasped, choking, and slid to the floor.

Levar half choked, half spat something at Onyx and took off into the forest, running as fast as she could. She had no weapon, and knew Onyx would best her in a fight if he had the knife. She did not underestimate his power, even at his height. She had guessed, rightly, that it would only make him more determined to fight and win, more fierce and merciless of an opponent and much, much more dangerous.

Onyx didn't pursue her. He knew his short legs wouldn't carry him as fast as hers. He accepted his limitations, and knew his strengths, and did not try to over-estimate himself to boost his esteem. He slid his dagger out of Emeray's heart, and wondered if he should finish her off quickly.

No, he decided. She was annoying and aggressive and reminded him of the kind of girl who, if at school, would mercilessly tease him about his height.

He turned his back on her, leaving her to bleed to death, and indeed it was after he had reached his camp and started re-arranging that stuff that the cannon finally went off.


	27. Death

**Adron**

It was night, the leeches were out and I was contemplating the faces I had seen in the sky just a few minutes ago.

The careers had broken their alliance. This was interesting news. There was no way of knowing if the three remaining tributes from 2 and 1 were still together. I had no reason to think why not, especially since the cause of their deaths was unknown to him.

Out of all the tributes that had started with them at the gong, there were only 8 left. This is where things started picking up.

I was camping in a dry grotto underneath some trees. I had hacked my way in, and had not been too careful about disguising the entrance, but I was too tired to care.

I fell asleep to the sound of the leech mutts slithering and squirming around outside.

My sleep was cold and interrupted. I woke every couple of hours, each time the world outside still being dark, and each time I turned over and fell stiffly back to sleep. When the morning light finally came through the misty breath of the swamp, I was frustrated that I had to wait for the mist to clear before I could start heading off.

I was ready and twitching by the time I could see a fair distance. The water lapping against my boots as I jogged briskly and quietly though the water was cold. My feet were frozen and my head awake in a few minutes, though my eyes didn't stop being heavy. I stopped and glanced around, checking which direction I wanted to go when a bird cried to my left. It wasn't like any bird cry I had heard before; it was strained and pained and vicious. I wasn't even sure a bird could make such a noise, and was sure I had imagined it when it sounded again, close this time.

I started walking away from it. Whatever made that noise I was not eager to meet. When it sounded again, it was even closer, and I picked up my pace. It suddenly sounded from my left, driving me in a different direction, and I turned, trying to get away from that sound, getting faster and faster. It was chasing me, I was sure of it, and as I splashed through the water, teeth gritted, heart pounding and sweat dripping off my face, I tried to imagine what kind of horrible mutt-creature could make such an aggravating sound. I never wanted to hear it again; I just wanted to run and run until I heard it no more.

Just as I felt it was surely going to catch up to me, and the noised were increasing in frequency and pitch, it stopped. I carried on running for a bit, and then slowed down, panting. I looked around and strained my ears, but the noise, the bird- or whatever had been making the noise that drove me here was gone.

As I was scanning the trees, and the mud beyond the trees, I noticed something. Someone. It was too far to tell who it was from where I was, though I could tell it was a girl and she was not facing me. She stepped into the light, and her curly brown-gold hair was flung into relief on her back. It was Jolissa.

I didn't know what to do. I certainly didn't want to face her, and have to explain why I had left. I started backing up slowly, trying to get out of eyeshot of her. I was just getting behind a tree when something flashed through my view.

A spear was flying through the air.

I twisted round, watching it's low arc as it slid gracefully into Jolissa's twisting body. She let out a cry and collapsed to the floor.

I stared.

"Jo…I-." I choked out.

She was moving faintly, the spear sticking out or her, but her attacker was not in sight. It was thrown well- it must have been either one of the careers or that District 5 boy.

The careers I might be able to take, and if it was the five boy, and I was close enough, I would easily best him. The attacker- the killer- would come and collect his weapon soon. He would want to come and finish her off.

Finish Jolissa off. Jolissa was dying here.

The thought was enough to bring me to my senses and start quietly but quickly making my way towards her. I could not look at her, but there was nothing I could do to block out the sound of her pain. I was closer now, barely ten feet away, and the attacker showed himself. It was the boy from 5, his lean, pockmarked face glowering as he advanced. He took his spear and mercilessly yanked it from Jolissa's body, and was just about to deal a death blow to her, when I charged out from behind my tree. His eyes narrowed as he saw me, and a hiss escaped from his lips. I pulled my sword form my belt and struck at him; he raised the spear in defense and stopped my blow, but I knew his weakness was close-range combat. His overall muscles were as weak as his stance, and he was slipping backwards even as I exerted pressure on his spear. I swung my sword again, this time coming in at a different angle, and he tried to block; I cut right through the shaft with the force of my blow. He looked at the two halves of his spear in dismay, and I swung my sword once more; this time taking his head clean off.

I was rather surprised with myself. I guess I had been angrier than I had thought. I had not meant to end it in such a grotesque way, nor was I please when he collapsed, headless in front of me, and the cannon went off. Twice.

I turned to face Jolissa. She was face down in the mud, bleeding out. Her golden-brown hair was floating gently in the water and her skinny frame was bend in a slightly awkward position from when she had fell.

_This is my fault, _I think. I sit down beside her, aware I have only minutes until the hovercraft comes to collect her. I stare at her forlorn hair, her swaying pale hand.

"I'm sorry Jo." I tell her. She doesn't respond- of course.

"No, really, I am. Honestly, I was such a selfish prick."

She doesn't move. I groan and bury my head in my hands. She was dead. Here, in the arena- and all because I had abandoned her.

"I should have stayed with you. You know? I kept making excuses and justifying me leaving you, and it has all ended like this." I paused, and looked at her. She looked weak and broken, and she should not have been like that.

_My fault._

"You're innocent, Jo. You didn't want to kill anyone, and that makes you the only one who really deserves to outlive this horrible game. I'm not going to win- I'm never going to win. I'll always be haunted by them." I waved my hand at the decapitated boy beside me. "I'm sorry Jo."

I stare at her, finished. I'm not sure what else I can say, and it's not like she can hear me anyway. Something tells me this would be an ok time to start crying, but I don't cry.

_I should have been the one to die here. She's right- if you kill, you don't win any way. This game is sick, and if I'd known how much it would affect me, I never would have tried to volunteer. If I could do it again, I'd let her live._

But I knew, however much I wished it, she would not come back. There were only 6 of us left now, and the only thing left to do was finish what I started. I had to do this. Win. I knew it now. If I had any doubt before, I knew now. Jolissa had died to keep me alive

I was choking back a lump that had formed in my throat.

A whirring started over my head, and I look up to see the hovercraft, ready to take her away.

I sigh and get up, trailing away from the bodies, and glancing behind to see them lift her up. I carry on into the forest, slowly slipping back into game mode. Though, unlike before, where the feeling was just caution, it was now tinged in sadness and anger.

Jolissa didn't deserve to have died in here. I would do all I could to avenge her death.


	28. Help

**Jolissa**

The day had been hard. I had heard the two cannons, but had no idea who died, and whether I would ever see another friendly face in this arena again.

I'm trying to sleep when it comes. It's not quite dark yet outside, but I have nothing else to do, so I was curled up on the roots of a huge, mossy swamp tree. My hip was aching anyway, so I probably wouldn't have got to sleep for ages even if the snake hadn't have come. It wasn't alone- it slithered behind a tall, wiry, dark-skinned tribute with a strange hairstyle that I recognized her from. Cadalyn- the district 11 girl tribute. Her hair was braided tightly across her head in neat rows, and came off in long, thin plaits. I can't remember what the style was called.

I could tell she wasn't concentrating on much other than the snake behind her at the moment. It looked like an Anaconda snake, though I knew those only lived in the tropics. Maybe one had been imported here?

Either way, she happened to get herself cornered in the root split right below me. I grimaced. I really didn't want to be a first hand witness to the way snakes killed their prey- especially a non-poisonous one like this horror that was slithering through the water. Cadalyn turned, and tried to find a vine to climb up, but the majority of the vines here were nettle vines, and after one hand had shrivelled up, she gave up and faced her pursuer.

She didn't have any weapon, I could see that, and she was injured. An image flashed in my brain, of her reaping. A little boy in the crowd ran forward, crying and his mother had to take him away.

I sighed, cursing myself and quickly started pulling the closest non-nettle vine from it's place around me. I pulled it forward and shoved it over the edge.

"Cadalyn! Take it!" I told her. She found my face and looked at me suspiciously, but she really only had two options- climb the vine or be crushed to death by the snake now rounding on her heels. I brushed her ankle, and she jumped and started to climb. Her hand was painful to climb with, but the rest of her body was covered and she did not get any more nettle poison in her system. I helped her up when she reached the top.

"Thanks." She said, gruffly.

"Oh, we're not out of danger yet. Snakes can climb."

"Then what's the point?" She snapped.

I handed her my dagger. She looked at me, meeting my eye.

We both knew full well she could kill me with this, then take on the snake. Another contestant down, and her out of danger.

She narrowed her eyes and snatched the dagger, rounding on the snake now making it's way up to the ledge through the vines and roots to us. He was a persistent little bugger, wasn't he?

It stuck it's head through a gap, reaching our level. It took me by surprise how big it's head actually was- it was almost as big as mine.

Cadalyn lunged forward and stabbed the top of its head. She withdrew the dagger, and stabbed again, this time square in between the eyes.

The snake went limp, and as soon as the dagger was removed, it fell with a splash into the water below.

The sun was setting now, darkness beginning to fall. The leeches would be out soon. I glance at Cadalyn, who's looking at me suspiciously.

"You the twin? Or the girl from 9?" She asks.

"The twin." I reply.

"Right. I always got you too confused. It's the hair. It's identical. Where's you bro?"

"I don't know. He ditched me."

"Rough, girl."

"Whatever. I wasn't planning to survive or kill anyway. He's the only reason I've survived this long."

Cadalyn considered this, and then said.

"Huh. I guess he's the reason I survived the snake, then, too."

She started to examine her hand. It was swelling with the lumps from the nettle stings.

"Oh, here, I've got something for that." I say, turning around and rooting in my bag until I find the Dock leaves.

I hand then too her. She looks at my swollen, callused hand doubtfully.

"They don't look like they worked for you." She said.

"Well, the swelling doesn't go away, but the pain does. Then it hardens and you can touch the vines anyway without getting stung." I tell her.

"Huh. Wish I'd found this before. I've had this one for three days." She says, pulling down her jacket and showing a scrape-like wound.

"Well, I threw one at Adron's face and now he's got a line all down it." I tell her, smiling.

She laughs.

"Man, not that pretty face! Bummer. Bet he's still good-looking though." She says. There's an awkward pause. She starts rubbing the dock leaves on her wound, and an expression of relief crosses her face. It's silent for a few more minutes. The sun sinks lower in the trees.

"So why did you save me?" She asked.

I hesitated.

"Well, I'm not planning to live-" I begin.

"Yet you've made it to the final 6" She interrupts. Chintz was right. Interrupting is annoying.

I get right to the point.

"That little boy who cried at you reaping. Who was he?"

Cadalyn doesn't answer immediately. She looks to the side and sighs.

"He's my nephew. Except my sister and her husband died a few months back, and I've been looking after him ever since." She says.

"Wait, then who pulled him away?"

"My mother. She'll look after him if I don't make it, but I'd rather be there for him." She says.

"I'm sorry." I tell her

"Don't be. It's the games, honey."

The sun had now dipped below the trees, and the familiar, sickening sound of the leeches slowly reaches out ears. The anthem starts playing and when it finished, the two cannon sounds I heard today are explained. The boy tribute from 5 shows up first, and then the brown-golden girl from 9. I'm relieved to see Adron is not up there in the sky.

"There. See? She looks like you." Says Cadalyn. I wrinkle my nose.

"Nah, my cheeks and jawbone are different, her eyes are bigger and a different color a-"

"Whatever. I'm glad that rat from five is gone. He almost got me yesterday. I would have got away faster, but those stupid monsters got me at the water basin."

"The Alligator-mutts?" I ask.

"Whatever. Now, listen girl. You may have saved my life, but you've got to be stupid to think I'm just going to trust you like that. You try anything in the night, and I will stab you without hesitation." She says.

"I'm not going to. You can keep the dagger if you want, I don't use it."

She glances at my backpack, a glint in her eye.

"You got any food in there? I'm not so good at hunting and my last meal was yesterday morning."

"Sure." I said, rooting around in the sliver, pale light and getting out a load of packaged, dry stuff. I expected her to eat it straight out, but she eyes it suspiciously. I sighed.

"Don't you think I would have just left you to that snake if I had wanted to kill you?" I asked her. She sniffed.

"I don't know. People go crazy in here. You eat some of it first."

I sighed, but complied., taking a bit out of the food before passing it to her. Her hair caught the moonlight a few times, and I couldn't help but stare at it. It was odd, but not capitol-odd, it was a nice, rural odd. A simple style that was nice, but not flashy.

"How did you get your hair like that?" I asked her.

"What, in cornrows? You know how to French braid?" She asked. I shook my head.

"Ah, well then I just braided sections of my hair. It took a long time, but I like the end effect." She said.

"Me too." I agreed.

We didn't talk after that. I unzipped my sleeping bag and offered her half like a blanket. She accepted, and though it was colder and wetter for me, she seemed to fall asleep really quickly.


	29. Revise

**Adron.**

In the morning, the bird call came again. It drove me east, I knew that, but apart from that, I was just focused of keeping away from the call. I was cut up about Jolissa, and running in fear and the mix was not pleasant in my mind. It pursued me, keeping up its piercing call ringing in my eardrums, keeping my feet splashing through the water. I swung a left, and it was suddenly right in front of my, calling from right round the corner. I skidded to a stop, and it came again, closer.

I was filled with a sudden anger. Why shouldn't I go left if I wanted to? Why should I be herded by this creatures cry? I continued forwards, and the call become louder, more intense. I gritted my teeth and continued on.

_This is foolish. If you meet this mutt, and it kills you, that Jolissa would have died in vain._ I told myself. I wanted to go back, but it was too late now, the creature's call were coming from just behind a tree up ahead. A small sparrow hopped out from behind the bushes. It jumped onto a branch, opened it's mouth and let out the fearful noise.

I was confused, but wary. Why would the Gamemakers make a little single bird sound so terrifying?

The bird gave one last cry and flew off. That was it. I was free from the noise, free to wander wherever I dared.

It was mid-morning before I saw someone. It was the dark girl from District 11. She was limping, and looking distracted, glancing behind her in a worried sort of way. She was injured, I could see that, and that would make taking her out easier. Not very nice, but easier. She had made it this far, at least. I move silently through the reeds, getting closer and closer to the girl, and Jolissa popped up in my mind.

_For you, _I thought and leaped towards the girl, sword drawn. She didn't hear me, but started talking to someone behind her. I glanced at the person, wondering if it was the missing tribute, and lost the balance in my leap completely. I landed in the water, crashing in the mud and getting my jacket filthy inside and out.

Both of the girls in the area looked at me in surprise.

"Adron?" Said Jolissa.

I scrambled backwards, panicked.

"You're dead." I tell her, waving my sword in my direction.

This must be the Gamemakers pulling some sort of trick on me.

"No, she's not dimwit." Said the other girl.

"No, she is. I saw it. Yesterday, the guy from 5 speared her. I killed him. She's dead."

The girl from 9 started laughing. I glared at her.

"What's so funny?" I snarled.

"Sorry. It's not really funny, I guess. It's just that you must have seen Shanae get killed."

"Who's Shanare?" I say, anger ringing in my voice. I was recovering from my fall now, and starting to get up.

"Shanae. She's from District 9. She had similar features to your sister. Did you check her face?" she asked.

Confusion started building up in me, followed by memories. The district 9 girl behind up in the chariot rides, looking like Jolissa, her in training. The girl yesterday, with the same hair as Jolissa, but no, I had not checked her face. Could it really be-?

I collapsed into the mud and water again, a huge weight seeming t lift o gym shoulders. Jolissa was alive! I had not killed her!

Both her and the other girl came over to me and helped me up, placing me on a stray log.

"Jolissa." I said. She looked at me.

"I'm sorry for leaving you. I won't do it again." I said.

She nodded.

"It's ok. You didn't really do anything wrong, just followed the plan. You know, me dying. If I was surviving, I wouldn't have wanted to be the one to kill you either."

"I'm Cadalyn, by the way." The other girl broke in.

I looked at her.

"What are you doing with my sister?" I ask her.

"Huh. She was right about the vine in the face. Anyway, you sister save my life last night and I haven't been able to shake her off all morning."

Jolissa rolled her eyes.

"It's not like that-" She began.

"Whatever." I say. "At least you're alive."

"Didn't you see the tributes in the sky last night?" Cadalyn asked me.

"Whatever. I didn't want to look." I say.

Now that the situation is clear to me, I'm feeling rather stupid. Why didn't I check it was actually Jolissa? Why did I not look in the sky?

I made a face.

"Wow. I was stupid."

"You can say that again." Says Cadalyn. I glare at her. She shrugs, smiling. I relent in glaring, but do not return her friendliness.

Where on earth did Jolissa pick this one up?

"Right. Anyway, it's a good think we're together, because we're actually probably the only alliance left in the games, and the others are all careers, so we're probably going to have some trouble with them on our own."

"Why? You beat one at the Cornucopia." Said Cadalyn.

"He was an arrogant sod who let his big head get in the way of his senses. Besides, he didn't know I had a second weapon, so it's not like I took him out by skill." I reply.

She shrugs.

"You still beat him. That counts for something."

I shake my head and ignore her.

"Well, the day's still young. What do you say we do?"

We didn't do anything much, and apparently neither did the Careers, because about halfway through the evening, a voice rung out through the forest.

"Good evening, tributes. Well done for having survived so far! There are only six of you left now, and though the river seems to be moving a bit slow now, this is a warning that tomorrow, at about this time, something's going to happen. You'll see what it is then, but you may not want to. Happy Hunger Games!"

I closed my eyes. Usually when something like that was announced, it meant something that only one tribute would survive. We had one more day. One more day until the games were over.

That night, despite the splashing of the leeches, there was a sort of silence over us. We had set up camp in a grove of roots; a small, enclosed, but dry space that meant no climbing. I was scratched and tired, but Jolissa had a bad hip wound and Cadalyn had various bandages over her body, though I was not sure where she had got the wounds from.

It was dark, and there was only a sliver of moonlight shining through the tightly knit branches, woven into patterns over our little camp. It was quite soft under here because of all the moss and plants growing, and it trapped heat better than you would have thought. Jolissa went into a corner and soon fell asleep, her soft breathing filling our ears and ending the silence.

I looked to my side where a flicker of movement had caught my attention, but it was only Cadalyn, her face shining and beached in the silvery moonlight that had caught her face. She was looking out rather sadly. She turned, now facing where Jolissa was asleep in the dark.

She caught me staring at her a few moments later. A smile crossed her face, made almost eerie by the fact her face was half in the shadows now.

"She's a sweet kid." She told me. I nodded.

"Sweet doesn't usually make it this far into the games." She continued.

"Sweet doesn't usually win the games either, but that's my plan."

"What, you? Sorry, but 'sweet' isn't what I'd describe you as. Serious, Solo- Sexy, maybe. But not sweet." She said. I wasn't sure how to respond to that, so I just ignored it and carried on.

"No. Not me. I'm going to make her win."

Cadalyn looked at me, eyebrows raised.

"There's a reason sweet doesn't make it. She couldn't even _leave _me to die, let alone stab someone with a knife."

"I know. I'm going to get down to the last two, and then go into the alligator pit, or leeches, or something."

"Sound like I'm not going to make it that far." Cadalyn said.

I looked at her, serious.

"Don't you see, though? She's the only one left who can actually win the games. When you kill- When I've killed, you lose a bit of yourself. Something she still has. I thought I wanted to win this, but when I thought she was dead- well the only thing that kept me going was vengeance, and then when I found her- I didn't want her to die again. If I win, I'm always going to be riddled with guilt about the people I've killed, especially her, but if I let her win, I'll win too."

Cadalyn was silent for a bit after I had spoken, and when she did respond it was laden with sadness.

"That's a really sweet thing to do. I can see where you're coming from. You see, I would do that too, but I've got a kid back home. Not mine; my sister's and he's already lost one of his moms." She said. She was not meeting my eye, looking down. Her voice was trembling, and I caught a tear rolling down her cheek.

"I- I do wonder though." She said, her voice growing stronger. "What kind of mum I'd be. One who was more scared than him, one who had killed people? I wouldn't want a mum like that." She said.

"Hey, I'm not asking you to give up. I wouldn't do that to you." I told her. We both knew what I'd left unspoken; that I might be the one to bring her down.

"Here. I'll split with you tomorrow morning. We'll leave the outcome up to chance."

"You can keep the dagger she gave you." I said.

Cadalyn smiled.

"She just handed it right over." She said.

I snorted, and then stopped, realizing how loud I had been. I continued quieter.

"I knew it."

"Does she know?" Asked Cadalyn.

"Know what?"

"That you changed your mind about living."

I didn't respond.

"You're not going to tell her."

It wasn't a question.

"She would try and stop me. Maybe someday, if this is on camera, she'll realize that I was planning to all along. You hear that, Jo?" I say.

She stirs in her sleep, mumbling something.

We don't talk after that, but Cadalyn moves over until she's sitting beside me.

"One, or both of us is going to die tomorrow." She says, slipping her fingers though mine. They're soft and smooth, and warm my hands up.

"Do you mind snuggling with me?"

"No." I say, and she leans over and rests her head on my shoulder.

"Were you serious before? About thinking I'm sexy?" I ask her.

"Nope. You're the ugliest person I've ever met." She tells me. I smile in the dark, and unhook my finger to wrap my arm around her. She movers her head so it's on my chest.

A pang goes through me as I realize what she said before it true. One; or preferably in my case- both of us are going to be dead come this time tomorrow.

"I hope I don't have to kill you." I tell her.

"How romantic." She mutters back. I laugh, once quietly, and her smile catches a glimpse of moonlight.

We fall asleep like that, her head on my chest, my arm around her shoulder. The most comforting thing about it was that this was not Lori. Lori had never snuggled like this with me, peacefully and warmly. She was always sharp and demanding, or cold and complaining. Nothing about Cadalyn's softness on my chest was anything like Lori had ever been.

Before I slipped into a peaceful sleep, the thought crossed my mind that she may be watching us right now. That made me smile before I was falling into a deep, deceivingly comfortable. Not matter my mood before I slept, the people I had killed always came back to haunt me when I closed my eyes.


	30. Beginning the end

**Jolissa**

The others were already awake when I woke up. Cadalyn was sitting there, not doing much and Adron had already packed up most of our essentials. He was just packing a meager supply of food when I woke.

"I decided that since this big event is going to be happening today, we're not going to be taking all the stuff. We'll keep it here in case, but we're not carrying it all." Adron told me.

"Just put you sleeping bag over there." He added after a second, and then turned to his breakfast.

I rolled my eyes, and neatly folded my sleeping bag, tossing it the corner where all the other stuff was. The mist outside was not yet cleared, and seeing it reminded me of the beautiful scene it had created all the other mornings. The light inside the shelter was dismal and white, creating a closed-in feeling, like this was the only place in the world.

Cadalyn had started eating, too and I soon joined them, thoroughly chewing the dried collection of food before swallowing.

I drank some more of the water, and noticed we were getting low. A grim anticipation set into my mind; from the sound of the announcement last night only one of us would make it to the next day.

This was the day I was planning to die. The certainty of it catches me by surprise, and I hesitate as I put the water back.

We sit in our campout until the mist is cleared enough to see though, then we all head outside.

**Adron.**

This is the day I'm planning to die. I wonder how many other tributes have been though this in the past; of the hundreds of kids who've been in here, surely I must be in the minority. The thought sends shivers down my spine, and for a second, I hesitate, but the memory of when I was sitting beside what I thought was Jolissa's body crumpled on the ground- that's enough for me to set my jaw. I splash a few steps into the forest and wait for the others to catch up. The air is cold and crisp, and I find myself wanting to go back into my warm sleeping bag. My jacket was extremely muddy from the dive I did yesterday when I almost attacked Cadalyn, on the inside as well as out, and I wasn't wearing it. I felt cold and exposed in my tank top, and hoped that the day would warm up soon.

The girls walk up to me, and Cadalyn turns to face Jolissa.

"I'm gonna head out on my own from now. Thanks for saving me from the snake, and for the weapon." She said, wrapping one arm around her in half a hug. Jolissa smiles as she replies.

"No problem. Good luck."

Cadalyn nods, and turns to me. She's quite a few inches shorter than me despite her tallness, and beckons my head down to her level. I'm expecting her to whisper something in my ear, maybe about Jolissa, but I'm completely surprised when she kisses me fully of the lips, wrapping her arms around my neck. Before I can do anything more that respond in shock, she pulls back.

"Stay beautiful, no matter what." She tells me. I can only gawk at her. She gives me another kiss, on the cheek this time, and walks off to the east, eventually walking out of our view behind a large tree. I stare after her, and put my hand up to the place where she kissed me on my cheek. Jolissa snickers.

'What?" I say, rounding on her.

"Nothing." She grins, barely suppressing her amusement. I put on my own not-amused mask, and she laughs again.

"Come on. You'd laugh if that was me and some guy." She said.

"I'm almost laughing at the _idea_ of that." I tell her, which make her stop talking. She doesn't stop smiling, though and I let it go, deciding she can think what she wants.

The day passes, and not much happens in the morning. Jolissa and I are brushing by the water basin, when the Girl from 2 stumbles out of the bushes, her long, wavy hair disheveled and her clothes a mess. She looks wretched, with huge bags under her eyes and mud and dirt up and down her arms and face. She looks so much different to the beautiful girl who sat on Flickerman's stage and smiled at the crowd; now she looks rather pitiful. She straightens up, and faces us. Her lip is drawn back in a sneer and her eyes are narrowed.

"You two still together then?" She spat at us, shifting to the side slightly. Her arm swung into view and in it was the sharp end of the spear I had snapped yesterday.

She didn't seem quite all there. She was breathing ruggedly, and her leg…it was bleeding heavily. She shifted again, and the ripped fabric swung aside to reveal huge, bloody holes bored into the flesh of her leg, with a bit of bone showing at one point. I could feel my gag reflexes responding, but gritted my teeth and turned back to her face. The leeches must have got her leg. It was a miracle that she was on her feet at all. She must have found a plant that helped numb the pain- but some plants have side effects. It explained why she was acting so strangely.

"Jolissa, don't look. Stand back." I tell her. The girl starts laughing.

"Bring it." She snarls, swinging her head to the side, and fixing her deep blue eyes on me. It's rather unnerving, but I know I can't be put off.

I draw my sword and charge at her. I hear Jolissa whimper from behind me, but ignore her. The girl twists her face into an angry expression, and raised the spear, jabbing it at me with strength. Whatever she took did not dull her reflexes, unfortunately for me.

I swung again; underhand this time and she parried, then jabbed the spear at me. It was a sloppy blow, matching her angry, drunken expression, but it hit its target, slicing into my chest. The attack had left her completely open, and I swung around, adrenaline masking the pain of the wound in my chest and I stabbed her in between the ribcage. Unlike my wound, this blow slid between her ribs and went deep into her lungs and heart. She coughed, and not wanting some gross gory scene to be in front of me, I quickly ended her life, slicing her neck clean open. She looked at me once, and collapsed to the ground, folding to the side as her blood leaked out into the grimy water. I winced as the adrenaline left my body, and squeezed my eyes shut as I pulled the tip of the spear from my chest. It had hit just below my ribcage, and as I had been moving backwards, it had not gone in too far. I was starting to hurt like crazy, and already a red stain was spreading across my tank top. Jolissa was hurrying forward, fishing the first aid kit out of her backpack, limping because of her hip.

She dabbed a nasty, stinging wad of cotton on the wound insisting it was helpful, and then used the bandaged to tightly wrap the wound. I looked at the shirt I had taken off and dropped in in the mud; it was nasty and muddy and now bloody and I did not want to put it on again.

The girl's face kept coming into my mind, and I was glad that I was not going to have to deal with these images for much longer. Just the rest of my life; which meant the rest of the day.

The hovercraft appears overhead, ready to pick up the body, and Jolissa and I have to move on, to make sure that no-one finds out whereabouts because of the craft.

It's midday and already I've got myself wounded and killed someone. It's going to be a long day, I can tell.


	31. And then there were four

_The camera switches from the fleeing tributes of District 8, to one of the remaining 4 tributes, the girl from 11. She's moving cautiously through the trees, wincing slightly every time she moves a certain way. She has a determined expression on her face and her hand over the hidden dagger on her waist. She enters a small clearing, with shallow, pale mud and sits down, resting for a moment. Her break is interrupted when a large shape blunders into her clearing, too. It's the boy from 2, with a foul expression on his face and a large pack on his back. The girl's eyes widen; he had not seen her yet, and she edges off her seat carefully, fear in her eyes. He's much bigger than her, much better trained, a lot stronger; and definitely more equipped. He had a set of knifes inside he jacket, a short dagger and a large, sharp, bludgeon. He's just about to leave the clearing and the girl behind, when she slips, foot sliding through the mud. Her body twists, and she cries out as her wounds are aggravated. The boy turns around, eyes wide, and sees her on his left. He lunges towards her, yelling and grabbing her by her throat and lifting her up into the air. She's struggling, trying to breathe, and uses his strength to swing her leg up and kick him in the neck, pushing her out of his grip. She falls heavily on the floor, and starts trying to crawl away, attempting to draw the dagger from her belt. It's jammed, and won't move, and Bristian has recovered from her attack. He pulls out his knife set and leaps forwards, jamming one of his into her neck under her jaw. She goes limp, flattening out. He sneers at her, leaning down to retrieve his knife._

"_Shimmer took way longer to die than you." He tells her, leaning close to her face. _

_A guttural noise comes from her mouth as she swings around, dagger in her and stabs him in the back. The swinging of her head tears the knife even deeper that it had been, and she collapses again, the same gurgled attempts at breathing trying to pass her lips; the boy is howling and stamping around, attempting to wrench the knife from his back. The cameras show a close-up of the girl's face as she finally stops trying to breathe, and goes limp; a few seconds later a cannon fires, signaling that this time, she would not rise again. _

_The boy is still trying to yank the dagger out of his back; he finally succeeds, cutting a deep grove in the side of the wound as he rips it out at an angle. The removal of the dagger does nothing for the wound; it now merely has an outlet to the blood pouring out of his back. He growls and tears off his jacket; his backpack lands of the floor and he starts to root around in it. _

_He doesn't notice the short, lithe figure leap silently down from where he had been watching, nor did he look up when Onyx rounded around the clearing._

_He only noticed something was wrong when he heard a swishing through the air, but by then there was no stopping the round, spiked mace from crushing his ribs and breaking his back. His legs collapsed; useless and he squirmed on the floor in pain._

_Onyx looked at him for a few seconds, considering, then pulled a short axe out of his belt and finished the helpless boy off._

_The second cannon sounded, and the camera showed the two District 8 tributes looking at each other; the girl had dismay written on her face and the boy; grim anticipation._

**Adron**

Three of us left.

That meant it was not just us against them. I had no idea who I would have to face in the next fight; though none of them were pleasant to think about. Cadalyn- I would not want to fight her. She might have been manipulating me just so I would not fight her; and if I did fight her, that would be what I would be thinking about.

She might be dead, which would leave me to fight a career. A male- either the strong District 2 volunteer, or the short District 1 one.

Honestly, I would rather fight the District 2 one. There was something about that boy from District one that made me cautious- probably the fact that even though he was short, he had volunteered. He was either overconfidently stupid, or a real threat- and I didn't understand him either way.

I could understand the Guy from 2; a typical career, but fighting something I did not know wasn't promising.

From far off in the woods, I hear the bird call. I heard it again, a few seconds later, a bit closer, and then again closer- and I realized.

The birds were there to lead us to each other. When I had run from that one the other day, it had led me right to the two tributes who I had then fought. I had heard a faint one as well, the day the two boys who had almost killed Jolissa had found us- and the water basin.

It was stupid and unfair, but it definitely sped things up in the games.

"Jolissa, climb that tree." I said, not looking at her and nodding at a tall tree to my right.

"What? Why?" She asked.

"Do it." I said, hoping she wasn't going to snap at me again for giving her orders. Luckily for me, she was in a better mood, and instead of fighting me, she started to walk towards the tree.

"Adron, I don't see how this is going to help." She said, stopping. Well, I couldn't escape without anything, could I?

I turned to face her, looking her straight in her brown eyes.

"Jolissa. Trust me. I have a plan, ok?"

She looked at me, questioningly, but nodded nevertheless and gave me a hug.

"I'm sorry for all the times I was mean to you." She said.

I hugged her back.

"Me too. I didn't know how cool you were." I said. She smiled.

"I didn't know how smart you were. I guess we're even. I'm going to miss you."

"Me, too. Give my love to the others when you get back home, ok?" She said.

"I promise." I tell her. "Now go!"

She breaks our hug and jogs to the tree, starting to climb it. I turn and face the sound of the birdcalls, sword drawn and ready. Whoever it was coming out of the trees, I couldn't let them get Jolissa. Then we both might lose.

She's up on the first main branch before the bird calls are loud enough to hear fully. They're as nerve-wracking and as unnatural as I remember, and only the knowledge that they couldn't hurt me made me stay in place. My pulse was already beating fast and my grip tense when the last call sounded.

The out of the woods came someone who, much more that the birdcall, made me want to flee into the forest.

The short boy from District one was strolling calmly out of the bushes. His brown hair was clean and groomed; his jacket off, like mine. His tank top had splashes of blood all over it; the sight of it made the wound in my chest ache- none of the blood on him seemed to be his, however, which put me at a disadvantage.

He was holding a spiked mace in his right hand and had an axe and a couple of daggers in his pocket.

He stopped when he saw me, automatically falling back into a battle stance.

A small smile was spreading across his lips.


	32. Fighting death

**Adron**

Neither of us moved, each of us waiting for the opportune time to strike. I could not concentrate, though; my mind was on Jolissa and what would happen if I lost this fight. He would find her; I was sure of it, and then the odds would be very, very against her winning. She must be confused right about now; wondering why she's up in the tree. She must be confident that I'm sure I can beat the boy in front of me, but I'm not even too sure myself. Can I do this?

Suddenly, he's realized my lapse of concentration and is leaping at me, mace raised, swinging it through the air. He's faster than I expected, and I have barely had time to block the blow when he's using his momentum to swing around and strike again.

He's good. That much it clear; unlike some of the people I've fought in this arena, he doesn't let his momentum stop for even a second- he understands balance and how to use it to his advantage. He strikes at my chest; I block and step backwards, but he's already back and aiming at my leg. I step to the side, but the wound in my chest slows me down and he catches the side of my leg. I cry out as two of the spikes crush into my flesh; he uses the force of the blow to roll over through the mud, wrenching the mace out and ending up behind me when he swings again.

I realize I'm entirely on the defensive and hurriedly launch an attack, jabbing blindly at his arm, but he catches it on the handle of his mace and my blade flies up. We stop for a second, weapons locked, and I look down at him. There's a wild, hateful look in his eye, and I know he's enjoying trying to kill me as much as I dislike fighting him.

For a second, I see him as the warrior he is; hardened by some hurt in his past, toughened way beyond what normal kids are. He's spent hours and hours training for this moment.

Who am I to beat him?  
>I'm tall, and strong, but I've got nothing on this kid. I've swung a few sticks and knife around while skipping out on work, and had just three days of proper training. My motivation to win was nothing on his; I was in in for the glory, but he was in it for something else. Was it to prove himself? Was it a desperate desire for revenge?<p>

My leg throbs, bleeding and I realize how crazy I was to even hope to win these games.

His motivation was much stronger than mine.

Or much stronger than mine was. I knew that if I'd volunteered on my own, tried on my own and faced this guy, I would lose.  
>But I had not come in alone. I had come in with my sister. I was not fighting for me anymore, I was fighting for her. That feeling, that realization, put the desire fight back into me. No matter what his motivations were, I was sure they were for him. I wasn't fighting for me. I was fighting for her.<p>

I break the hold he has on my sword and swing around, ready to win this time.

He sees my renewed ferocity, and his eye narrow even more. The adrenaline pumping through me numbs my wounds, and though I avoide standing on my bad leg, it was not much more of a hindrance to my fighting. I swung my sword again and again, and this time I was pleased to see that he was on the defence; not as much as I would have liked, but I definitely was getting my hit in; I managed to nick his leg and put a gash on his arm. I was pedantic about not letting him hit me. One more blow off that mace and I knew I would be crippled.

My foot hit something solid on the ground and I tripped backwards, landing heavily in the mud. The boy was on me in a flash and I had to use my entire strength to roll out of the way and get back on my feet. I glanced quickly up to the branch where I knew Jolissa lay; she was staring down at me with scared eyes. I could not spend enough time to smile at her or comfort her, but seeing her alive up there was enough for me to up my game once again.

My sword was faster than his mace; he had to use more strength than I did to swing his blows, yet I had to use more energy to block his.

This went on; me dealing a few more minor wound to various parts of his body he had left unguarded, but as time wore on and my energy began to wane, I notice he looked a lot less tired than I felt. His groomed hair had a little bit floating out of place now, and he had more blood on his jacket; his this time, but apart from that he was maintain a cool, calm air.

_Jolissa._

I kept fighting, kept attacking.

_Jolissa._

I wasn't doing so well; my arms were aching and my leg and chest were starting to really hurt.

Then, suddenly, the boy charged forward and swung at me; I dodged backwards, expecting him to have aimed for my chest, but he hadn't.

His mace caught his target, and I watched in shock as it connected with my hand. It was flung to the side, caught in the power of the blow, and I could feel the bones and flesh crushing and tearing as my sword flew to the side.

We both stopped. My hand hurt too much to take in at the moment; as I stared at it, I was shocked how much it was barely recognizable as a hand. Fresh blood was running down my arm and trailing into the mud in the ground.

I felt my leg betray me and collapse as I slid to the ground. I used my good hand to clutch my chest, and then looked up at the boy standing over me.

He had won. We both knew it. He had disarmed me, and what meant restarting in a training match in the outside world, meant death in the Arena.

**Jolissa**

He wasn't doing anything, just sitting there like he had forgotten how to fight. Why wasn't he moving? This wasn't how it was supposed to be; it was meant to be me down there facing my death.

"Adron! Adron, what are you doing? Get up!" I shouted at him. He looked up at me with worry; I knew that I had just given my location away to Onyx, but I didn't care. Why wasn't he fighting, dammit?

I caught his eye, and he just looked at me, with worry etched on his face. He said something, but I couldn't make it out, it was too quiet. Then Onyx swung his mace, and I had to watch, my eye glued open as he struck Adron around the head. There was a sickening cracking sound as it made contact, and I made a horrified choking noise. Adron collapsed to the ground, limp as a doll, and just lay there while fresh blood flowed freely from his head.

"Adron! Adron get up!" I choked out. Tears were starting to form in my eyes. What had he been thinking? This was all wrong! He was supposed to be up here, ready to win the games, and I was going to leave this arena without having to kill anyone, even if I left dead. A cannon sounds, and I close my eyes, hoping to wake up from this horrible dream. This couldn't be real, he couldn't be dead, but as I shaking and trying to wake myself up, and announcer's voice runs through the Arena.

"Good show! Well done! It's time for your special surprise! I'm not supposed to tell you but…..I can give you a hint. Start climbing!" He says, and then it turns off.

I look down; Onyx is right at the base of the trunk, and is starting to make his way up towards me.

I think back to Adron, what he had looked like just before he had…. what he had mouthed. I think of the shaped his lips had formed and mouthed it myself. A word, and then another, with a clear 'L' sound. The first word had an 'S' in it. I mouth it again, this time with imagined sound, garbled, and then again, it becoming clearer.

"Say lie….Stay alie…Stay Alive!" I said out loud.

Stay Alive. The same stupid advice Chintz had given us all that time ago. Adron wanted me to win this. Ok. I could do this, right? I started to pull myself together.


	33. Winning means losing

**Jolissa**

I was starting to panic, wondering what I should do, when a loud skittering noise reached my ears. It was a noise that I was, unfortunately, used to; I was not expecting to hear it at this time of day however. It was the sound of the mutt-leeches being released into the forest, swarming out of their holes in the side of the arena and falling, squirming into the water below.

Was this what the announcer was talking about? The leeches?

That didn't really help me at all; Onyx was already out of the water, climbing nimbly up the roots. I looked down at him. He was staring coldly back up at me. I checked the vines on the tree- They were, indeed nettle-vines, but another look at his hand told me he had already discovered how to get around the issue they posed.

Another sound caught my attention, a noise that was loud and gulping; the same sound our sink makes at home every time we pull the plug out of the drain. The sound didn't last long; it was followed by a rushing sound that I could not identify.

The leeches had reached our tree now and were now writhing below us. In the daylight, they looked even more disgusting that they did at night- they bodies were a dark brown with a yellow stripe down them, and the yellow flashed over and over as the bodies dodged around each other and leaped out of the water, trying to reach us. I felt sick watching them and their movement. I looked back at Onyx, and saw he was already half way up the tree to my branch. I looked around wildly- what was I going to do?

I stopped as I caught a glimpse of the water basin, a fair few meters away and behind a couple of trees; it was bulging out and had turned a bright shimmering white.

No, that wasn't it. It was water making the crest and foaming white. Water, spilling over the edge of the basin; just then the sound of the leeches falling into the water stopped, and the rushing sound got louder. I identified it this time. It was water, falling from some place unseen to me; tons of water all spilling into this unusually small arena.

_They're going to flood us out!_ I think. That's what the final challenge, the final part of these games were; a race, a deadly race to get away from the rising water and death by leeches and come out as the last person standing. I glance down; he's almost at my branch- but the water level is rising. I can see it now; the leeches steadily increasing in height as they covered the roots. It was rising faster by the second; already it was covering the entirety of the roots.

Onyx scrambled over the edge of my branch and turns to face me.

_Am I too late to run? _ I think. Adron's face pops into my mind.

_You have to try._

I ignore the pain in my hip, turn to the side an jump as far as I can into the nearest branch I could see. Luckily, this tree, though tall and wide, had fairly thin branches compared to its girth. I catch a branch and pull myself up, and then start scrambling as fast as I can to reach the next one.

Onyx seems to have noticed that the water was rising too- he was climbing up fast. The route I had taken was not the easiest, and he turns and starts to climb a different way.

I'm reaching the next branch, and then using the vines to start climbing as I can't make it up further by jumping. I'm extremely glad at this point for the tallness I had inherited from my father; reaching up and grabbing the branches is fairly easy and I'm only stopped by a few.

I look down; Onyx is below me, following the same route I'm taking now and below him, the water has passed the roots and is climbing towards the lowest branch. The rushing noise had quietened; perhaps the various pipes feeing the water into the arena are covered over now. It was that or, that the water had stopped entirely, but I see no evidence to support the latter hypothesis.

My hip is starting the really hurt, and my underused muscles are protesting at the climb.

I come to a point where I have to pause; the vines here are much too thin to climb up, and the next branch is about six feet above my head.

There are no branches to leap onto at the side; the choices are to jump and try to climb up the tangles vines and branches, using my non-existent arm muscles, or go back and plan another route up. I glance down again. Onyx is gaining on me; There's no way I'll survive going back. I look up, take a deep breath, ready myself and leap as high as I can, aiming for the vines hanging down. My arms get tangled in the vines as they support my weight; some of them snap and I fall a couple of inches, but they hold. I struggle to climb up without my feet. My weak arms are barely managing, but eventually I get up enough to have a precarious foothold, and I heave, pulling myself up onto the branch. I lay there panting for a bit, trying to catch my breath to continue and then get up, ready to carry on. I'm just scrambling for the next branch when I check what's below me again. My heart stops when I realize how close Onyx is; He's just at the branch I was on, ready to make the jump and scramble up. He's not moving, though, not prepping himself, just trying to get a handhold on the scrawny vines.

_He's too short to make the jump!_ I think.

I struggled with several different emotions at that point.

First, I was very, very amused. I quickly dismissed that, because it was mean. It wasn't his fault he was short.

Second, I felt relief and satisfaction- he couldn't get to me, and it served him right for killing Adron. But this was in conflict with my huge pity glands.

_He killed Adron._

_It's not his fault; he was only playing the games._

_He's a killer._

_So was Adron! You would help him if he were here!_

_He enjoyed it!_

_Doesn't that say there's something wrong with him?_

_Exactly!_

_If he's not normal, there's got to be a reason for it! You don't have to kill him, but at least give him a fair chance!_

With a groan, I turned myself around. Any normal person would have just left him to die, I knew, but I at least had to try and help him. I would never forgive myself if I didn't.

I hurriedly put myself back on the branch and started untangling vines to throw down for him to use. I would let them down, and then start running again.

I didn't notice my foot had gotten stuck in the mess of vines, and threw a pile down at him. He yelled as one nettle-vine struck him on his bare arm, then grabbed them and started pulling himself up.

The vines around my foot tightened, and I found myself falling off the branch. I swung down, almost comically, and hit Onyx, knocking him of his branch as well. He was still holding onto the vines, and thankfully, as we fell down together, some of them caught and we were left tangled and suspended in mid-air. I checked the water level; it was past the first branch now, and climbing steadily just twenty feet below us. A huge pain suddenly ripped into my leg, and I screamed, swivelling around until I saw what was responsible. Onyx was hacking at the vines around him, and had hacked my leg, too- whether accidentally or on purpose I couldn't tell. The important thing was, he wasn't near enough to do any major damage to me.

The vines he had weakened found they couldn't support our weight, and they snapped, letting me and him fall down another couple of feet. My leg was tightly wrapped at an angle, but my arms were free. There was a branch to my side, and I started wriggling and swinging, trying intently to reach it. I could feel him moving too, and was suddenly struck with desperation to get away from him, to get far, far away where he couldn't ever hurt me. The best I could do was the branch, so I swung harder, and to my surprise, my hand caught. I hesitated for a second, and then reached out my other arm, slowly pulling my body out of its entanglement and onto safety. Slowly, slowly, I pulled myself forwards, freeing my body, until I fell with a crash onto the branch. My leg was still stuck in the vines, but the rest of me was safe. I looked at Onyx; he was violently hacking away at the vines again, and his face was showing a desperate fear at the bonds surrounding him. He was breathing heavily and grunting as he hacked and hacked; he seemed not to notice that there was leech-filled water beneath him.

"Stop!" I cried out, but he didn't listen to me. A couple more of his bonds fell away, and I realized I could be in danger, too if I didn't get my leg free. I started pulling off the vines on my leg. I finally got it free and tuned back to him.

"Stop! You're going to fall!" I told him again, but he didn't listen, still chopping away at the vines that held him.

**Onyx.**

The ropes that tied me, I had to get them off, get them off and get out of the closet, this happened every week; every week, at the same time they would come and tie me up and leave me in the dark. I hated it, hated having to struggle out by myself, knowing that they waited outside to laugh at me when I finally struggled out. I had shut them up, though; they had learned never to mess with me again, so why was I still tied up? I had a knife this time, I was cutting away the ropes and I was going to kill them all when I got out this time; wipe their humiliating grins off their faces. I would how them that shorter doesn't mean weaker. A voice is calling me, mocking me, telling me to stop, that it's dangerous, but I know it's lying. I'll be free, just one the pressing feeling to being ties up gets better. It's loosening now, getting less tight, and I'm beginning to slip, to fall…

**Jolissa**

He's going to fall, going to die and I'm helpless to stop it, I can't reach it, can't go after him. There are only a few vines on him now, and I'm beginning to cry. These games are sick. I don't want to live if I'm going to live with this in my memory- a crazy boy, my age, cutting away the ties to his life.

"Stop. Stop, please!" I beg, feeling the tears running down my face, but he doesn't.

Suddenly, the last few vines can't support him, and he's falling, a triumphant look on his face as he's plunged into the leech infested water. That look on his face, that human look, breaks me. I stand up and dive in after him, not caring that I can't swim that well, not caring about the leeches that I can now feel nibbling on me. I scream out bubbles as I kick underwater; there's a muted cannon sound, and suddenly all the leeches swim away. The water is left; slightly muddy and slightly clear, and his body is right below me. It's eerily silent now, and the world seems frozen, the bits and pieces floating around me not moving unless I kick out.

I reach his body- the victim of the games, and wrap my arms around him to pull him up. I'm shocked at the sight of him; blood pouring out of him and rising like small, red clouds floating past me. He's disgusting; gnawed to the bone in some places, but I wrap my arms around him anyway, and start pulling him up. I used the branches around me to go up, too and eventually I'm pulling him out of the water.

I realize I hurt a lot. I look at myself, and realized I'm bleeding heavily. A realization passes through my mind.

I've won the hunger games.

With that strain off my shoulders, knowing I'm not fighting for my life any more, I give in to the pain and pass out.


	34. Recovery

When I awoke, I was surrounded by white walls and humming machines. I think there were people, too but I could not make out their forms, only blurred shaped moving in and out of my vision. I did not stay conscious for long; I felt to heavy and too tired to fight to stay awake and instead let myself sink back into the heaviness of unawareness.

When I next awoke, the room was still white, but it was quiet this time. I was in a bed with heavy blankets that were wrapped tightly around me. For a second, I thought I was once again in the vines that were restricting my movement, and I struggled, panicking. It was only when I fell out of the bed, hitting the floor and had scrambled out of the blankets that I realized what they were. I looked at myself; for the first time if days I did not hurt one bit, and I could move freely without aggravating some wound or other. My hands had been scraped of the calluses that the nettle-vines had left and were back to their normal size and texture. My hip and leg felt fine. I stood up a bit shakily my legs felt like they hadn't been used in a few days, and I started walking towards the door. I opened it, and outside I found a doctor, complete with clipboard and my two mentors.

"Oh. I'm glad you're up. I was expecting you to come around today. You're fine to walk around and everything." Said the doctor, and he waked off. I was left standing rather awkwardly with Rayon and Chintz. We were silent for a while, none of them talking. The last time I had seen them was when Adron and all the other tributes had still been alive. When Adron was still planning to win.

"I'm not meant to be here." I say quietly, my voice trembling.

"Nonsense. You have just as much right to have won than anyone else." Said Rayon, taking my hand. I found it a lot different now I knew that we might actually have a future together, but I didn't withdraw.

"Why don't I feel like I won?" I say.

Chintz gives a rough laugh.

"No-one wins, darling. Not really. I would say, of all the champions, you're probably won the most, because you didn't actually kill anyone." He told me.

"I'm the most pathetic victor ever. I bet everyone hates me." I say.

"Nonsense." Says Rayon again. "Everyone loves that story- Adron, going in to win, no-one suspecting that he actually was going to sacrifice himself or you, and then at the end, that boy falling into the water, and you going after him- it was a marvelous ending, even if the president is a bit annoyed that you almost killed yourself. You'll have to go talk to him about that." He says.

I don't reply. His talk had brought back to many memories, and I just wanted to go to my room and cry.

As I pull away and head down the corridor, Chintz calls after me.

"It's the recap tonight. You're going to have to be there."

The recap seemed to float by me like a dream; the make-up artists, whizzing around me and making me pretty for the cameras, me walking onstage to the audience and sitting in the chair, and then the lights dimming and the show beginning.

I was worse than actually being there, re-watching it. Worse knowing what was going to happen to all the tributes, who was going to die.

I wasn't sure how I managed to get through it without breaking down. I seemed void of emotions, empty except for anger. At first, I didn't know who to direct it towards, but then I saw the horror of the games afresh and I knew that I was angry at them. I knew if I could I would stop the games from ever happening again, ever taking a child from their families and forcing them to kill another.

I cold only watch for the most part, and I broke when the bit with Adron and Cadalyn cuddling in the moonlit grove. That bit broke me. Adron admitting that he was going to keep me alive, make me win. So this was his plan.

I felt angry at him. Why would he do that to me? Now I got to live- but some life this is. Haunted by the reminders of the games, by the deaths, buy the guilt. He was free of it, and I was stuck in this stupid, shallow world where the rich partied and the poor starved.

Thanks, Adron.

I started crying at that point, silently, and didn't stop even when the show was over and the lights were back up. I waved goodbye to the crowd, making a brave attempt at smiling, and then started bawling as soon as I was offstage.

I didn't talk much for the next day. I did in my interview- answering Ceaser's questions politely but with no emotion, and during my party, I didn't speak, just nodded. I was surprised how many of the Capitol folk said they were sorry for the loss of my brother. Apparently his sacrifice was more felt that I had imagined. I nodded at them, and then walked off.

I was nearing the end of the party when I received a message. It was from the president, and it told me to meet him in his office upstairs, complete with instructions.

I was glad for an excuse to leave this 'celebration', and happily worked my way to the door, barely caring what on earth the president wanted to see me for.


	35. Punishment

I arrived and walked into his office. President Star was sitting at his desk, his small eyes darting over the paperwork in his hands. Up close he's even more loathsome that I thought; his brow is read and beading with swear, his face red and purple and covered with marks. I wondered why he hadn't joined in with the Capitol's trend of fixing himself up- for some reason it looked like he hadn't had any work done at all.

He looked up for a second and then looked back down at his work, gesturing for me to sit down.

I sit, and wait for him to continue. I'm still not in the mood to talk, and am relatively happy for the silence the office provides.

The president eventually finishes reading his papers and lays them aside.

"Jolissa. Welcome to my office. We have a couple of things to discuss before you head off home tomorrow. The first of which was you behavior in the games. I don't know what you were thinking, throwing yourself to the leeches like that, but I can say it was unexpected. Our team controlling the Leeches barely had time to call them off before they ate you to death. If you had died, that would have been unpleasant."

He lowers his face and looks me in the eye.

"Luckily for you, it did not look like you were trying to kill yourself, it merely looked like you were trying to save the boy- not much better, but still, it will not encourage future tributes to try what you did."

He paused there, as if waiting for me to say something. I just looked at him, rather tiredly.

"Right, now we're going to discuss the topic of your brother. I assume you knew of his habit of sneaking off into the abandoned factories instead of work in order to train for the games?" He asked.

Yes, I knew. How did he know, though?

"Yes. We found out a couple of years back, from a young Miss Temple. If it had not reached my ears, he would have been drawn out and punished, but I saw fit to let him train, as a little surprise for the other contestants. As it happens, I happened to find out he had a twin, and that made things all the more interesting."

He paused again here, and looked at me, searching my face. I had no clue why he was telling me this, it was just making me more confused.

"So. It looked like he wasn't going to volunteer, so I decided to surprise him. I took measures that you and him would both be picked this year, so-"

"You what?" I said, my voice low, forgetting my vow of silence.

"I ensured you and your brother would be picked." He repeated, a smug mile on his face. It appeared I was reacting exactly the way he wanted me too.

So that what it had been, all along. We had been the presidents pawns, set in the games to dance for him, and even now, I was still dancing. I was playing his little game, all for his entertainment. Except it wasn't funny. People had died while this sick man smiled his smug little smile in the corner.

I snapped. I don't really know what happened in that next minute, except I heard a yell- I wasn't sure if it was mine or his, and the next thing I knew I was being dragged off him by two guards, while he massaged the bruising fingermarks on his throat. For the first time, I wasn't sorry that a person had almost died. I wasn't trying to protect him, or shocked that I was the one who had tried to kill him. I would have gladly done it again if given the chance, and I found I was disappointed that I hadn't succeeded. That scared me.

I was being dragged out of the room, my hand being cuffed behind my back, sure I was going to be locked up somewhere for the rest of my life- I had just attacked the president- when Star managed to get his voice back.

"Leave her. Go." He wheezed to the guards. They hesitated, but when he waved at them again, the backed out of the room, leaving me behind.

The president got up from the floor and dusted off his clothes. Now my hands were cuffed, I was not threat to him, he took his time. His face was oddly calm, which freaked me out I was sure he was actually livid that I had broken his rules. I was sure- completely sure- that he was going to make me pay for humiliating him like that.

"Right." He hissed, then coughed.

"No-one will know about this. You are going to pay for what you've done." He had started to pace around, his mind practically whirring as the cogs in in thought.

"Your family is dead." He said. My heart sank, and I wanted to get on my knees, to beg with him to spare them. But I had no guarantee that he would, and that would mean playing his game again. I was not going to fall back into being his pawn so soon after I had broken free. Freedom, it seemed had a price.

"It seems like the people of your District are too liberal. First, your brother, sneaking around, breaking the rules, then you thinking you can attack me. How do I know everyone in your District isn't like that?" He said. He seemed a bit over-paranoid to me, but I kept my mouth shut.

"I'm doubling the guard. Yes. The peacekeepers in your area are going to me more than any other District, and stricter, too. You're not going to have any more freedoms in District 8, oh no. You'll get your gifts this year, but you watch out." He said. The he stormed out of the room.

I couldn't help it. As soon as he left I started to cry. The thick shell I had put up- the strong warrior who had tried to kill this evil man- seemed to melt away as soon as he left, leaving me, wondering what I had done.

_I've just killed my family. I've made District 8 a nightmare to live in._ I thought. Nera. Llander. Mom. Dad. It looks like they wouldn't have time to mourn. It would just be me.

I've just ruined it, too. Any chance I had to stop the games, to kill the president I just threw out the window. I looked like I was going to have to wait until someone else was going to do it. However long that took.


	36. Epilogue

_**So, thinking about writing a sequel. I'll leave a little cliffie at the and of this, and you guys can comment if you'd think another one would be cool**_

_**Love you guys, and thanks for reading all the way through!**_

_**Love, Zeiddo**_

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue: <strong>

****It had been almost a year since my games. Almost a year since the deaths of everyone I had cared about. The president had been true to his word; my family had died before I had got back. An explosion had taken my house, and it had been blamed on a gas leak. Ha. As is we had had enough gas to leak. I looked over the burnt remains and felt a lump form in my throat. This was the first time I had been here since it had happened, and I felt memories of my family coming back to me. My father, supporting and comforting. My mother, sweet and caring. My sister- my best friend and ally and perhaps the one who I wished back most often, and my little innocent brother. Lladner had been 11. Just a child.

In the past year, and I had a lot of anger. The other tributes had come to visit me; Woof was pleasant enough, Chintz had just popped by once to borrow something, but Rayon was the most frequent visitor. He had started to make me come out of my house and start talking to people, though I didn't speak much anymore.

I turned around and started walking towards my house, down the street, ignoring everyone around me. I had had a lot of time to think, and draw up conclusions and direct my anger. I had been livid at the president at first, blaming everything on him, but had reached the conclusion there was no point being mad at him. He was impersonal, not malicious and almost just doing his job. I couldn't really blame him for that, and besides there was someone much more satisfying to hate.

Lori. It was easy once I figured it out. This was all her fault. If she had not told the peacekeepers, out of spite, that Adron was breaking the rules, then the President would never had made sure that our names were picked. She had done what she had done out of pure hate; pure selfishness and deserved my hate. what goes around comes around, and I was going to make sure something came round to her.

I reached the Victor's Villiage and entered my house, locking the door behind me and heading upstiars to my office.

Today I had settled it in my mind. I picked up the letter on my desk. It had been sitting there for months, pre-written and waiting to be adressed. I picked it up and started scrawling the adress I had memorized. 

_President J. Star,  
>001 Tribute Square,<br>The Capitol,  
>Panem,<br>CA1 5CN  
><em>_  
><em>

_c/o Miss Jolissa Jade,  
>7 Victor's Village,<br>District 8,  
>Panem,<br>D87 4NS  
><em>

__I didn't know if it would reach him, or whether i wasnted it to reach him. I did. I closed my eyes and though of my request. It would be revenge. Payback. The way it should be. I wasn't sure if I was going insane or not, but that didn't matter. Especially if this worked. 

**Epilogue 2(after maybe sequel):**

After my second year of Hunger games, I started to recover.

I married Rayon. He ended up being there for me, and though for the first 5 years I was horrible to him, rejecting him and going around with other guys, he was always there. I think he understood. He understood- maybe not all of what I was going through, because he still has his family, but he understood my guilt and pain. I was scared that if the President found out I like Rayon, he would get rid of Rayon as well. It was only after he died, after the second Quarter Quell, that I finally let him in.

That year was a nightmare of training. I went with Woof and Rayon; it was Chintz's turn to stay behind- and training 4 kids to die instead of two was even more draining than usual. Chintz, I was afraid to say, was right- after years of every tribute dying on you, it's not very easy to get worked up and train them right.

After I let him in, it became a lot easier. I never forget my family, but with Rayon, well, he helped my start again with a new family.

The 10th anniversary of my games, as always during the half way point between the games, I was required to go back and visit the Arena, which had been set up as a tourism attraction. It was sick, seeing what they had done with it- there was now the 'lovers grotto' where couples could go and cuddle where Adron and Cadalyn did, there was climbing games and bombing games, and places where you could re-enact the daring deeds the tributes did. They made watch Capitol actors re-do all my major scenes- the bit at the Cornucopia, the first campout with me almost falling into the leeches, me and Adron bombing the Career's camp, me trying to save the two boy and getting shot, and the last scene, me jumping into the water to retrieve the District 1 boy's body.

I had seen the District 1's family on my victory tour- I thing I do not like to remember- and they had looked at me sadly. He father looked exactly like him, height and everything, and it was something I would never forget.

I cried that night, while I was cuddled up to Rayon.

I asked him how he had managed it, and he told me the story of his games.

He wasn't the most honorable victor- actually he had betrayed one of his allies in the end, leaving her trapped for the bat-mutts to find.

"I'll forever regret it." He told me, eyes wide, staring into the dark.

I just snuggled him closer.

"It's not your fault." I had told him. "It's the capitol. Their games."

He had shaken his head, and said no more.

We got married that summer, after 7 years. He had not wanted to wait that long, but I was nervous about committing. I was afraid I would lose him.

That year, we had our newest victor join us- Cecelia, winner of the 56th annual Hunger games. She was a fierce one, but I knew no-one could come from the games unharmed, and so I found myself talking to her, comforting her. She eventually opened up to me and I got a new best friend. She got married, like me to a lovely young boy a few years older than her.

More years passed, and the 60th hunger games went by. I got on with life, training tributes, and arguing and making it up with Rayon. Chintz was getting older, ad Woof was practically retired.

It was the 67th hunger games when I found out I was pregnant. I was 37 then, and not expecting to be expecting at all. Cecelia was thrilled, and excited, telling me she was going to have kids too now. I wasn't sure I wanted kids- kids to grow up and have to go into the games- but I wasn't going to kill them, and Rayon seemed just as excited as Cecelia.

I gave birth to twins- a boy and a girl. I cried when I held them, and I named the boy Adron. I had to- he looked just like my brother, except he had Rayon's hair and golden eyes.

The girl looked a bit like me, and Rayon named her Kenna. He wouldn't tell me why, but I suspected it was the girl who he had left behind in the games.

Cecelia got pregnant after me, and when my children were about a year old, she had her first.

She went on to have two more kids, and by the 70th hunger games, they were fine, strong and healthy.

Then came the 74th hunger games, with Katniss Everdeen and Peter Mallark. They both won that year, and I could not help hoping that that was a sign, that we were not going to play by the Capitol's rules anymore, though I creid at the thought of two tributed making it out alive. I admired their bravery, and wondered I I could have done the same. Maybe me and ADron could have both made it.

I could tell the people in my District felt it too- there were signs. When they came around on the Victory tour, we could not help but feel it. I knew, if anyone was going to make up for my mistakes that lead to the strict, harsh lifestyle that was life in District 8, it was the mockingjay.

When the Third quarter Quell was announced, me and Cecelia met up and cried.

We both knew one of us was going to leave our children. I couldn't ask her to volunteer, and she didn't for me.

Then the news reached us. It was from the other victors, and from District 13. I had hoped District 13 was alive, and I had heard rumors- some of our people had even ran away there, but I had never dared dream it was possible.

It told us that if we were picked, to protect Katniss.

There was a plan- a plan to break out of the arena. If we weren't picked, sit tight and wait- and make sure to be ready to fight.

I agreed, and so did Cecelia. We both promised each other to take care of the other's kids if we didn't make it back.

Cecelia was picked in the end, and it make me cry, seeing her children crowd round her and beg her to come back. I wanted to free her from the pain, but my twins were holding tightly onto my hand, and I knew I could not abandon them.

It was sad she died- horrible for her kids, because they managed it- to break out, and the rebellion started in our District.

We won, in the end.

Though the Captiol has fallen, I will never forget what it made me do. Who it killed. They have gone but my memories remain, and my family remain too. I will fight for their future.


End file.
